The Trick is to Keep Breathing
by Polkadotdotdot
Summary: - Sequel to INFLUENZA! - Just when Pepper and Tony think that Married life is going well someone from Pepper's past catches up with them to take back what he thinks is owed to him. TS/PP JR/OC - Chapter 12 - 8 1/2 months later -
1. Good Morning Mrs Stark

Well here we go again, back to the world of Tony and Pepper. This is set not long after they've come back from their 4 week honeymoon. Please review as much as you have been doing, I love you guys!

--

He had always been proud of his looks. They had helped get him far in life, helped him get away with far too much than he'd care to admit. When they had found him his face had been barely recognisable. His nose was non-existent, his teeth were crushed within his mouth and his face was practically caved in. The many surgeries had been long and painful, but they had done it. He had a new face. It was strange that he didn't look like himself and he still had a nasty scar that ran down the left side of his face, but it would heal eventually to something a little less angry.

As he lay in the hospital bed, his fists closing around the news paper in his hand, he read the headlines to himself. There on the front page was a full photo of the woman that had done this to him and the man that she now called her husband. As gently as he could he tore the picture out, marveling at how beautiful she looked.

"Pepper Stark..." He muttered over and over to himself as the pain killers took over. He had a plan and he hoped Stark Industries were still employing.

--

She yawned as she stretched her arms upwards, the shades of their bedroom rising and bathing the whole room in early morning Malibu sun.

"Good Morning Mrs Stark, would you like the weather for the day?" Jarvis asked. Pepper sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.

"No thank you Jarvis, just put up the stock information for me" She asked, her voice still a little rough from sleep. Suddenly there was a groan from the lump that was lying under the comforter and Pepper slid down under to see her husbands eyes closed but a frown still over his face. She still sometimes couldn't believe that he was her husband, that she was married to Tony Stark. She still wasn't used to being called Mrs Stark, sometimes not responding when someone said it for a few minutes. It was those 'Oh wait, that's me' moments that made her giggle.

"Morning" She said quietly. He groaned and rolled his face into the pillow.

"Morning baby" To most people this muffled reply would barely be recognised as English but Pepper had learned long ago how to speak 'Pillow'. "What time is it?"

"It's 8am and we both have to be in the office for 10, so up!" She said, pulling the covers off his half naked body making him shiver at the sudden cold air on his bare back. He'd never been a morning person, but waking up next to Pepper helped a lot. He rolled over and watched as she slid towards their bathroom wearing only a pair of shorts and a fitted tee shirt. He sighed once more and pushed himself up from the bed, wandering down the stairs and to the kitchen for some much needed coffee.

Their honeymoon had been a relaxed and quiet affair on a small private island near Fiji. They had spent most of their time between the beach and their bedroom. One memory that stuck out for Pepper was when he had gone for a last moment surf before they were going to dinner, he'd turned up back in their villa soaking wet with beach hair. Needless to say Pepper's dress got a little damp when she jumped him and dinner was forgotten. Nothing could have prepared them for the media circus that was waiting for them when they arrived home. Hundreds of flashbulbs all going off at once, their faces splashed across all the front pages of the papers and magazines.

_"Mr and Mrs Iron Man Home from Honeymoon"_

Pepper emerged from the bedroom 20 minutes later, fresh, dressed and ready to go in a black empire lined dress with red ribbon lining just under the bust. The light and floaty hem of the dress came just above her knees, showing off her perfectly tanned legs and pair of red Louboutin stiletto shoes.

"Good to see your all up" she said in her normal cheery manner as she walked to the kitchen, her heels clacking against the hard floor. He grinned as he opened oggled her from the feet up. He loved her red shoes.

"Yeah, I suppose I should get dressed too" He quipped pouring her a mug of coffee. She kissed him on the cheek and picked up her mug.

"Well you can turn up to a board meeting like that all you want but they may deem you unfit to work and then all the controlling stakes in the company would be signed over to me and, honey I have to tell you I'm just not really ready for the responsibility" She smiled, spreading cream cheese on a toasted bagel that had popped moment earlier. He shrugged.

"I suppose you're right" He said, wiping his mouth with a nearby napkin, "How about you, what are you doing today?" He asked.

"I have those shipping report to finish off and then I'm interviewing a few candidates for new arc reactor research" Tony just nodded and pushed himself away from the breakfast island of the large kitchen. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Great, We can carpool! I'm going to go and get shaved and changed but I'm thinking I'll go with the blue tie" He said. Pepper raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't want us to be one of those couples that match" He shivered, "Its tragic to look at!"

--

He felt powerful once more in his expensive suit from back in his power days. Back in the days when he had a say in how the country was run, when he was in the papers practically every week. When he was Thomas Richmond: Presidential adviser. Not Thomas Richmond: Living joke. That was it, one tiny sexual harassment claim and he was tossed from his position quicker than they could say 'Bill Clinton' as well as black listed from practically every major company. It was a good thing he'd been so well paid, at least he didn't have to worry about money issues.

Then something completely out of the blue happened. He had been getting on with his life. Okay so there was always a woman to keep in line (He just didn't understand why they wouldn't do as he said) but generally he thought himself as a centred, well balanced guy. Until a man in a metal suit crashed into his garden and caved in his face, talking about a woman he thought he'd never say again.

Pepper Potts.

Well, Pepper Stark now, he supposed. Since his stay in the hospital he had thought about nothing else. About no one else. She had always been one of his favorites. She was so sweet, so beautiful but so strong at the same time. Maybe that was why he always felt the need to put her in her place. Every day he would spend his time going through every paper he could get his hands on, finding pictures of her and cutting them out, pasting them into a note book. He even spent time writing out where she was when the picture was taken, what she was doing and on occasion who she was with (Not that it mattered.) The notebook in question was sitting in his inside pocket of his suit.

Now he was sitting in the lobby of Stark Industries, fidgeting with his hands and hoping that he wasn't sweating too much. If he didn't get this job then his plans would be majorly pushed back and that wasn't what he needed. He needed things to go right. He needed things to work. Suddenly he was pulled from his thoughts as a pair of red patent high heels were in front of his gaze on the floor. He looked up and there she was. The woman herself, smiling down at him completely unaware that this man had a book all about her.

"Hi there, I'm Pepper Stark" She smiled, trying to to giggle at her new second name, "Are you here for the interview, Mr..."

"Coleville, Matt Coleville" He said, smiling at her pleasantly as he got up and shook her hand. She didn't recognise him in the slightest.


	2. Lunch

Right everyone, this might get confusing what with Thomas calling himself Matt. So basically i'm going to continue to call him Thomas but the Characters will call him Matt. Got it? Ace!

--

"So you graduated from MIT?" Pepper said lightly as he sat opposite her. Everything in her office just screamed of Pepper. There was a vase of Daisies sitting on the top of one of the wooden filing cabinets as well as another vase sitting on the side table. On one side of the wall there was what looked like a large entertainment centre full of books and a large LCD TV in the middle. On the opposite wall there were various pictures of her friends and family, as well as more than one picture of her and Tony together. He sneered at the picture on her desk, it wasn't her wedding photo, that was already on the wall. No, it was just the two of them together in casual clothes, she was sitting down and he was in front of her, her arms around his neck. They both looked blissfully happy together.

"Yes thats right, I also spent five years working in Japan helping develop their cleaner air system" He said with a fake smile plastered over his face. Pepper smiled and nodded. They had spent the past 45 minutes talking about what he could bring to the company and if he would be comfortable working in such an enviroment. He was fairly sure he had it in the bag.

"Well this just looks great, I think you're exactly what we're looking for" She beamed and Thomas beamed back at her.

"Fantastic! When do I start?" He asked. Pepper began to type something back on her computer.

"I just need to get some paper work filled out here and then we'll send it to you to confirm everything but generally you'll be starting next week. The letter is just some official thing we have to do" She quipped, checking her watch. "Oh and that is great timing, I'm meeting my husband for lunch"

"Oh yeah, thats right congratulations" He said in over exaggerated sweetness, "I forgot you're a newly wed" Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Well you're about the only one! I picked up a news paper on my way to work and I can promise you it'll be somewhere in tomorrows papers!" she sighed and Thomas gave her a sympathetic look, his grey eyes softening making Pepper feel strangely at ease considering she'd only just met him.

"Are you okay with that?" He said softly. Pepper scrunched her nose up.

"Well, I guess I just don't understand how suddenly every action I take is now news but I married the man I love and I wouldn't trade that for anything" She sighed, her voice light and dreamy. Thomas smiled at her but was soon startled at a knock on the door and it suddenly opened.

"Speak of the devil" She said, "Don't you ever knock?"

"I, Mrs Stark, own this building therefore don't see the point in it. Who's this?" He asked practically running his sentences together. Pepper nodded toward Thomas.

"This is Matt Coleville, he's one of your new researchers" She said. Tony looked the man up and down slightly, narrowing his eyes a little.

"I'm sorry...have we met?" Tony asked suddenly, "cause I feel like we've met before" Thomas shrugged.

"Nope, never met you before in my life" Tony shrugged.

"Huh, Well Mrs Stark we are going to be late for our reservations" He said smiling towards his wife then looking back to Matt with an off hand manner. "Jane is waiting outside, she'll show you out. Good to meet you Matt" He said as he ushered a giggling Pepper out of the door. Thomas followed them out, Jane greeting him at the side of the door but he didn't really hear her. He watched as the couple walked away down the hall, Pepper's red shoes echoing as they went along with the sounds of Tony's laughter at something she had said. Thomas could feel rage building in his gut. Where they laughing about him? No, sweet, loving, beautiful Pepper wouldn't do that to him. As he walked down the hallway, following Jane to the front lobby of the main building, he wondered if he would be able to get his hands on one of the pictures on her wall.

--

"That guy was weird" Tony said as they got into his Audi. Pepper smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? Why was he weird?" She asked, turning down Def Leppard and ignoring the sideways look that he shot her.

"He was just..strange. He was looking at me funny" Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Honey, you're Tony Stark. Everyone looks at you like that..."

"No they don't, not like that!" he almost whined, "Most people look at me in awe...he looked at me in...in..."

"Curiosity?" Pepper helped. Tony nodded his head sharply.

"Yes! That! Exactly! See that's why I married you..." Pepper rolled her eyes.

"And here it was because I thought you loved me..."

"Well that too" He smiled, pulling the car up to the kerb. Both of them got out and began to walk down the street towards the Thai place that they went to at least once a week. Tony nodded to the host who smiled and directed them to their usual table.

"I can't believe you told him we had reservations" She muttered pulling her suit jacket off and letting her hair down, the strawberry blonde waves falling over her shoulders. Tony sat silent for a moment, watching her as she tipped her head back and shook her hair loose. He had a wicked grin on his face. Pepper snapped her fingers in front of him with a grin of her own, "Pay attention honey"

"Sorry" he said shaking his head and smiling at her, "Well how do you know we don't?"

"Because I make all of your reservations and we've not had to reserve for this place in 5 years" She quipped. He grinned as he downed a shot of Sake. Married life suited him. "Oh by the way...I hate to let you know this last minute but I promised Emma and Rhodey we'd help them with the move"

They had only met at Pepper and Tony's wedding, they had only been dating for 4 weeks but as soon as Emma had mentioned that she was trying to find a place in Malibu, Rhodes had blurted out that she should move in with him. He'd never done anything so impulsive in his life but luckily this was one decision that was working out.

"Oh..Um I can't" tony stammered.

"Why not?"

"I have a reservation on Saturday.."

--

The only light in the apartment room was coming from the old TV that was sitting in the corner. When his plan first started to come together he realised that he would have to move closer to the Stark Industries base, so as quickly as he could he had picked up the first apartment he could get. It was small, dirty and in an awful state of disrepair but he didn't mind. This was the way that Matt Coleville lived.

He watched as she stood near his podium, a proud smile on his face as he babbled on about bio-oil and something else that Thomas didn't really care about. She looked so beautiful, her eyes sparkling and her skin glowing as she watched him from the side. He bit his lip and closed his eyes imagining the way her dress clung to her perfectly toned body. God he felt like such a moron, maybe if he'd gone a little lighter on her then she wouldn't have left. She would be looking up at him with that proud expression in those sparkling eyes.

He growled and stood up, turning to stand in front of the side wall that was covered in pictures of Pepper. Any that had Tony in them had Tony's head removed. Phase one of getting a job there was complete, Now he just had to get her to trust him.


	3. Lipstick and Locations

The sun was beating down outside Rhodes Malibu home. Emma was happily pulling out light boxes from the van (Since Rhodes wouldn't let her touch the heavier ones.) but she grinned and dropped the box on seeing Pepper and Tony's car pull up. She squealed and jumped from the van, Rhodes helping her down.

"Pepper! HEY!" She shouted, skipping over to her big sister. "How was the honeymoon?" She asked, wrapping her sister in a hug.

"Oh you know, horrifically romantic and extremely steamy" She said with a cheeky wink. Emma grinned.

"Awesome, Hey Tony" She said as he walked over to hug his sister in law.

"Morning Emma, having fun invading California?" He asked. She just nodded at him.

"I'd be having more fun if you two would help with the insane amount of boxes that have suddenly been dropped on my door step" Rhodes joked with a wink in Emma's direction. Pepper did her best to hold back a grin and she gave Tony a side ways glace that just screamed 'I want to talk to my sister alone.'

"Right, i'll go help Rhodey then..." he muttered, following his friend to the truck while Emma and Pepper leaned on the hood of Tony's car.

"So...getting pretty serious already?" Pepper said, both of the girls looking ahead at the two men. It wasn't a bad view, both Tony and Rhodes were only wearing jeans and Vests due to the afternoon heat and the sweat was already starting to shine on their bodied. Emma grinned.

"Yeah yeah I know, I've already had it from Mom...at great length and volume, but I like him...a lot" she gushed, "I really think this could be the real thing Pep" Pepper smiled. At least she knew the guy her sister was throwing her life at and Rhodes was one of the better guys the world had to offer. A military man, no less.

"Well I'm happy for you and it will be great to have you closer" Pepper said putting her arm around her sisters shoulder.

"Hey, are you two going to help us or what?!" Tony's strained voice shouted across to them, both of the men having stopped what they were doing and were now standing staring at the two women. "Cause we refuse to do anything else until you start helping!"

--

Another Monday morning. Another working day. Pepper sighed as she got out of her car and began to walk into the office, saying her usual good mornings as best she could. Truth was she wasn't feeling herself, she felt tired and more than a little worn out but she had a meeting to go to and it couldn't be avoided. A tiny voice in the back of her head kept telling her to go back to being assistant or take Tony's advice and just stop working altogether. She didn't want to. Pepper loved her job despite the hassle it sometimes brought. Suddenly she realised there was someone keeping step with her, holding out a cup of Starbucks.

"Good morning Mrs Stark" Thomas said in a manner that was so cheery Pepper couldn't help but smile.

"Morning Matt, Sorry I was miles away" she said quietly, "Are you all ready?"

"I sure am and this, "He said handing her the Starbucks, "Is for you. Soy caramel latte" he smiled. Pepper looked impressed and took the tall paper cup from him.

"Thanks, that's so nice of you. I haven't even had time for my morning coffee yet" She beamed after taking a sip, savoring the bitter sweet flavour. "Come on into my office, I have some things to get and then I'll take you down to the research division to meet the rest of the team we've put together. Everyone is new so you won't be the only one" Thomas nodded with a sly smile that Pepper didn't clock onto.

They walked into her office, the sheer presence of her practically hitting him in the face once more, that delicate sweet smell of flowers that made him bite his lip in a bid to control himself. No, He had to stick to the plan. That's the only way they would be together. He once again plastered the fake smile across his face.

"So will your husband be in today?" He asked pleasently. Pepper shook her head, starting up her computer.

"No, not today. He's...away doing business" She lied. Technically he was away, she just didn't feel like mentioning it was in a red and gold titanium suit and that business meant blowing things up. So that's what she always called it. Business trip. Thomas just smiled and nodded again.

"So, if it's not too bold of me asking, do you have lunch plans? I've just moved here so I don't really know anyone..." he said quietly. Pepper smiled.

"You know what? I don't, I'd love to have lunch with you" He grinned and Pepper almost did a double take. There was something about his mouth and the way he smiled that was so familiar. It made her feel strange, she felt like she could instantly trust him but at the same time, in the back of her head, alarm bells were ringing and telling her that lunch was not a good idea. She shrugged it off.

"I know this great deli, they do the best subs in Malibu!" She said picking up a file, "Come on, lets go meet your team" He got up and followed her.

"Lead the way Mrs Stark"

"Oh please, call me Pepper"

--

"So I heard you used to work for the white house?" Thomas quipped as they ate. Pepper's shoulders stiffened ever so slightly and she rolled them a little so ease it out.

"Yeah that's right I did" She said quietly, her voice a little bit shaky. Thomas kept on smiling. He just wanted to get a reaction from the red head. She forced a smile on her face.

"Sounds like a great job, why would you want to leave it?" He asked sweetly. He knew exactly why she left. She left because of him and his temper.

"Oh...I just felt like a change" She stressed, trying to change it to a more positive subject, "And besides, I have a great job now and if I didn't I'd have never married the man I did"

Thomas almost sneered. Why was it that everytime they were having a conversation she easily dropped in the fact she was married? As if the giant rock and platinum wedding band on her finger didn't give it away. Never the less he continued to smile and was able to get her to open up about almost everything, it was too easy.

Obviously he knew where she worked and when but soon he knew where she liked to eat and get coffee (Because of course he didn't know the area and needed advice), what gym she liked to use (And again) and even the fact that her sister had recently just moved into town. Pepper Stark. Not such a closed book when it came to friends. Friends? Yes, he supposed that was what they were becoming and for now that suited him just fine. He had enough information on her and as soon as she had received a phone call from a certain husband, she had smiled and thanked him for lunch and said her goodbyes. Before the door of the deli had swung shut, he had his note book out and was writing furiously while savoring each picture. He noticed there was a lipstick smudge on her coffee mug and he grappled with the idea of wiping it off with a clean napkin and putting it in the book.

No, he thought. That would be weird.

--

"I'm home!" Pepper shouted as she shut the front door behind her. She walked in and dropped her back on the big white sofa, smiling as Tony came up the stairs wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

"Hey, how was your business trip?" She asked, not even bothering with air quotes. He knew what she meant and didn't bother correcting her. Whatever made her feel better.

"It went okay" He said, wincing as he slowly sat down. He had an ice pack taped to his shoulder and there was a bruise forming on his temple. Pepper smiled sadly and moved the ice pack, sneering at the purple splotch that was under it. She moved the tape and then put the ice pack back on his shoulder, but lower. He groaned.

"That better?" She asked and he nodded.

"So, how was your day?" He asked. Pepper smiled a little.

"It was alright. The meeting was over quickly, talked the new team through the research module and then I went for lunch with Matt" She said lightly. Tony scowled and quickly turned around, groaning and screwing his eyes shut at the pain in his shoulder.

"You went for what with who?!" He asked. Pepper raised an eyebrow.

"I went for lunch with Matt, you know, the guy you said was weird" Tony continued to frown.

"Okay...was it lunch" He said as if it was an every day occurrence, "Or was it...Lunch" His tone shifted the second time he said the word lunch and Pepper scowled, dropping the ice pack.

"Antony Stark, don't you dare!"

"Don't dare what?" He whined. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Don't you dare jump to an extremely wrong conclusion!" she snapped, "I've never once done it to you, so don't you do it to me. I thought you'd know me a little better than that!" He didn't say anything but he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sorry" He muttered quietly, looking every inch the 5 year old who had just been shouted at, "But...you always have lunch with me..." He pouted. Pepper smiled at him, moving him forward and putting the ice pack back on his shoulder.

"I know, but you were away. We'll have lunch tomorrow I promise" She said, pressing a kiss to his bruised temple. He smiled. It was one of the few things he could remember about what his parents always did, one of their few little rituals. No matter how busy his Dad got he always made time to have lunch with his mother, to just talk and have a good time with his wife. He figured when you were with the person you were meant to be with then it would never get boring. Suddenly there was more pressure on his shoulder than he would have liked, a silent sign that Pepper was still more than a little peeved about his small accusation.

"Pep, Honey...that kinda hurts..."

"I know"

--

Well I hope everyone is enjoying this, it's going to get a little darker in the next few chapters. Ooo scary. I may not be able to update as quickly over the next 3 weeks since my last exams are happening and as much as i'd love them to be, they have nothing to do with me writing my stories :-( Keep up those reviews and keep that smile on my face! :-)


	4. That Thin Blue Line

If Pepper Potts was anything other than organised, she was punctual. She was always on time whenever it was just her that had to be somewhere (When it involved dragging her husband with her then it was a whole different ball game) and it was something she was rather proud of, even if it did go hand in hand with her organising skills.

So why was this late?

It was one of those things that never mattered until it wasn't there. She hadn't even realised she was late until she had been lying back in bed the night before, imagining all of the steamy times her and Tony had. It was something she did often with a cheeky smirk to herself, especially when they were doing something normal, like just sitting in the car or watching TV.

_"What are you smiling at?"_

_"Nothing"_

_"No. You can't smile at me like that and then not tell me what you're thinking about!"_

_"It's my mind, I can think what I want and it's my business" she smirked again, "But I might show you later if you're lucky..."_

She smirked again thinking of the memory but quickly shook her head, it was thinking like that that got her into this problem. What was she thinking, it wasn't a problem at all. If it was what she thought it was then it was the best news she'd ever heard. She grinned, a hand absently covering her stomach. She wouldn't tell Tony, not until she was completely sure.

"Happy, can we stop at the drug store on the way? There's something I need to pick up"

--

You didn't get to the position he had been at in the White House without picking up a few skills along the way. Hacking was just one of those skills. The computer screen was the only light that was shed in Pepper's office as Thomas typed his way past the laughable firewall systems. He figured that she would have had a more secure server but then again, Pepper was a very trusting person.

He smiled as he stuck the memory stick into the side of the screen, the download of Pepper's personal information starting. Tony's information was far harder to get to and way beyond his field of knowledge but then, he wasn't looking for anything on Tony. Hell half of his information was already up for free on his Wikipedia page.

It was all there, on his little memory stick that he'd pulled from the computer, shutting it down for the night. Her personal information, medical history, employment history even just a few random facts such as her favorite colour (Turquoise) and her favorite food (Thai.) With an air of calm about him he stood up and walked from her office, only pausing to take a picture from her wall.

--

Her hands were shaking as she was sitting on the floor of her bathroom, cross legged and in her PJs. In her hand was the pregnancy test that she had just taken but she didn't want to turn it over. She wasn't sure of what it would mean. On the one hand, was she ready to be a mother? More to the point, was Tony ready to be a father? He was so busy between his job and flying all over the world. Sometimes she could barely handle the danger he faced herself, so how on earth would she be able to do it with a child. At the same time, she wondered what that child would look like. He or she would most certainly have Tony's eyes, Brown almost always won over blue when it came to genetics but Pepper wouldn't complain. She loved Tony's eyes. Maybe if it was a girl she would have Pepper's hair? Maybe Tony's smile and Pepper's nose? She didn't want to get carried away before she knew.

With a deep breath she turned the little stick over and allowed the crushing disappointment to take over her chest.

It was negative. The one thin blue line told her so.

What started out as some strong sniffles soon broke out into full on sobs as she pulled her knees up to her chest, allowing her arms to fold over them and her head to fall down. That beautiful little girl she had seen so perfectly in her mind was fading into nothing. The handsome little boy who was the spitting image of his father was gone. She allowed the stick to fall from her hand with a clatter on the bathroom floor and with a slightly more than sharp tug, she pulled her bun out, letting her hair fall in a mess around her.

"Oh my god, this is so stupid" She scolded herself as she grabbed some tissue and wiped her eyes dry, "How can I be upset over something I didn't even have. It's not like I'm not ever going to have kids, it's just...not our time yet" She told her reflection who nodded back with sad determination. She washed her face and took in a deep breath before addressing Jarvis.

"Jarvis, please don't tell Tony about this if he asks" She sighed, "I think he should hear it from me" she picked up the negetive test and looked at it one more time just to be sure before throwing it in the little trash can at the side of the sink.

"Of course Mrs Stark. Mr Stark is currently taking a break if you would like to go speak with him now" Jarvis said. She smiled, walking a little quicker from their room down the stairs and down another set of stairs to the shop where he was standing in a pair of jeans, pulling off his vest and kicking off his trainers. He had a smear of grease across his face and he gave her a lop sided grin as she entered the room.

"Hey" he said lightly, throwing his vest off to one side. "How's my best girl?" Pepper gave him a weak smile, walking up to him without saying a word and wrapping her arms around him. He looked confused but his arms automatically circled her anyway, "Everything okay?" She nodded against his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his warm body against hers. It was reminding her that she wasn't alone, the warm metal on his chest pressing against hers.

"I just missed you" She muttered. He smiled.

"I've been down here, you should have said something" He said practically whispering in her ear, as if it was a secret that he was terrified someone else would hear.

"I know...I was busy" She said, Tony nodded, pulling away from the hug with a grin.

"Me too but I have had a very good day. Jarvis music" He said suddenly and The Sundays version of the song Wild Horses filled the room. He held his hand out and Pepper took it, being lead out onto the clear circle of the testing area where he pulled her against his chest and they began to sway and dance to the gentle music. They were silent and content for a few moments until Pepper decided to speak, he could feel the vibrations of her words against his chest. She was certainly smaller than him while she was barefoot.

"So, why have you had a good day?" She asked happily as they danced, his hand on her waist and her hand pressed on his chest while the other was locked with his fingers.

"Well...I figured out a way to stop the plasma leak in my little night light here" he said triumphantly, "So no more goo but...I will need your help with it later..." He said quietly. He knew she hated it. It freaked her out, especially when she almost sent him into cardiac arrest. "What about you, how was your day?"

"It was...interesting"

"Oo, interesting sounds like fun" Pepper giggled against his chest.

"Couple of interviews, fixed some things in your schedule, took a pregnancy test..."

"You what?" Tony said sharply, holding her gently by the shoulders and pushing her back so she was looking at his eyes, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to be sure...but...I'm really sorry" She said, her voice edging with tears, "It was negative" She said quietly. Tony made a silent "Oh" with his mouth, disappointment evident on his face. He pulled her back against his chest and they began to dance again.

"I'm sorry..." She said again, this time letting a few stray tears fall onto his bare chest. He felt them running down and he shook his head sharply.

"Don't you dare think it's your fault" he whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her head. "We'll have kids, it just wasn't our turn this time" Pepper smiled against him.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

They continued to dance together, barefoot, in the middle of the chaos that was his workshop. Neither of them had noticed that the music had stopped playing.

Or that he was near the window taking pictures, invading the intimate moment between a husband and wife.

--

He was bathed in red as he developed the pictures he had taken only a few hours ago but something wasn't right. In almost every photo, he was too close to her, the angle was all wrong. He could only see flecks of her red hair from behind the other mans back. This wouldn't do at all. With a smile he started on the other pictures from the main level of the house, finding the perfect picture of her striding out towards the work shop stairs, a smile on her face. Her long legs paused gracefully in mid-air as she jumped from the bottom step to the floor.

He grinned. This was going on his wall.

--

I know, I know i'm a horrible person but I promise it won't end in tears for the couple! Keep those reviews coming everyone!


	5. Fired

Pepper woke up with a sigh, Tony's arms wrapped tightly around her and his face buried in her neck. She smiled as his facial hair tickled the back of her neck. She was still disappointed and she could tell Tony was too. He hadn't said it but she could see it in his face when she'd told him. The way he felt when he'd pulled her back against his chest. She turned and pressed a kiss to his cheek, he was still sleeping, his eyes fluttering under his eye lids. She could feel it in her gut, that cramping feeling that told her what she already knew. She didn't think she'd ever resented having a period so much in her life.

Gently, she pulled herself from the bed, grabbing the top sheet and wrapping it around herself (her clothes from the night before were lying in separate pieces around the house) before she shuffled off to the bathroom for a shower to rid herself of the dried sweat that was lying on her skin.

When she came back into the room, a fresh set of shorts and tee shirt on and her hair still damp, Tony was lying wide awake watching CNN. She smiled and threw herself back onto the bed, Tony yelping as her cold hair hit his bare chest.

"Morning" she said quietly. He pressed a kiss through her damp hair and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't sound happy, probably still disappointed as hell, he figured.

"Morning, how you feeling?" He asked. She shrugged against him.

"I'm okay...not great but I'm okay"

"Well i've made up my mind, you're not going into the office today" He said. She pushed herself up off his chest and gave him a puzzled, questioning look.

"Why not?" He shrugged.

"I just want you to take the day, I think you deserve it" she sighed and fell back onto his chest.

"Tony, i'm not a china doll...I'm fine, I'm not going to break" She muttered. Tony didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arms around her a little tighter. "But I'll take the day anyway"

"Thats what I wanted to hear"

"But will you be okay..I mean there are tons of..."

"Pep, I think I can manage on my own for one day"

"Whats your social security number?"

"...Shhhhhhh. See, you're clearly hysterical. Can't go to work like that..."

--

He had waited for her as he always did, Starbucks in hand as had almost become their little thing. He liked that they had a thing, that she felt like she could trust him. Today was different. The Bentley pulled up but only one person got out. One person that he didn't want to see. There were no long slender legs stepping out first, no smiling face and red hair that followed. Only a man in a suit that probably cost more than Thomas' apartment.

He sneered, crushing the paper cup in his hand and ignoring the burning pain as the hot liquid touched his skin. He turned and stalked towards the research building, logging himself in and pretending to care when he said good morning to his team. No, he didn't care that Kevin's daughter just got placed first on the cheerleading team and No, he really couldn't care less that Michelle's son had gotten an A in some exam. He pretended to while hiding his burning hand inside the pocket of his lab coat. It would make the perfect excuse.

When no one was looking he picked up the beaker of blue liquid, the symbol on the side telling him it was corrosive and highly dangerous to skin contact. The beaker tipped sending the liquid all over his work bench and he let out a wail of pain, drawing the attention of the rest of the team, all of them fussing around him and cleaning up the toxic mess.

They had finally wrapped his hand in bandages when Tony had entered the complex, wanting to know what had happened. He looked Thomas up and down and finally told him that he should go home, he didn't need a researcher with a hand that couldn't be used. So Thomas agreed, saying that he would get his hand sorted and then come back the next day. Tony just smiled faintly and nodded.

But Thomas wasn't going home. He was going to visit a friend.

--

As he drove down the street wondered what to bring her since it was impolite to show up to someones home without bringing anything. Chocolates? No she didn't seem like that type. Flowers? No, too much like a hospital visit. Food? Yes, food was an idea. If she was sick then surely she hadn't had time to cook for herself.

Thomas could feel rage building in his stomach as he waited for their food in the same deli that she had taken him to on their first day. He even remembered her order. An open faced sandwich with lemon mayo, parma ham, rocket and tomato. So that's what he got her. It angered him that Tony would leave his sick wife at home on her own, how dare he treat Pepper that way. He could imagine her lying there in her bed, pale and weak, begging for someone to come and help her. He grabbed the bag from the assistant and walked out of the door, striding towards his car.

Pepper however was not lying in bed feeling sorry for herself, anything but in fact. She was up, dressed and had just come home from getting a facial and a cup of coffee with her sister. She figured that she really would take the day for herself and now she was currently relaxing on the sofa, staring out to the stunning view of the sea while listening to some laid back classical music from her own personal play list. She jumped slightly at the knock on the door, not expecting company of any kind. She knew it couldn't have been Emma or Rhodes, neither of them knocked anymore.

With curiosity written all over her face she walked to the front door and opened it, surprised to see 'Matt' standing there with a bag.

"Oh! Hey there Matt, I wasn't expecting anyone today" she said with a smile but not moving from the door to let him in. He smiled back.

"Yeah well, a few of the girls at the office said you were sick so I thought I'd bring you some late lunch" he quipped. Pepper nodded a little, deciding that he wasn't doing any harm and she opened the door. She hadn't really eaten since her fruit salad for breakfast and was starting to get peckish anyway.

"Thanks, thats so nice of you. Come on in" She said, stepping aside and closing the door behind them, "But aren't you meant to be working right now?" He held up his bandaged hand.

"Had a bit of an encounter with some nasty blue stuff and got sent home for the day. So I figured since we were both invalids then we could have lunch"

She walked him through to the kitchen where he put the bag on the counter and began to unload the food. Pepper had to admit, it smelled amazing. Quietly she instructed Jarvis to lock up all essential parts of the house.

"Well I'm actually not sick to be honest, I'm just taking the day for myself you know, taking Tony's advice" She said, as she poured the two of them a glass of orange juice. Thomas scrunched up his nose.

"Really? On Tony's advice huh?" He said, making it sound a lot less harmless than he really meant it to be. Pepper just nodded. "Huh" He said. Pepper frowned.

"What?"

"No, it's nothing...do you always take his advice?" He asked. Pepper shrugged.

"Not always, only sometimes but I think today he made the right call. I wasn't really in the mood for going in today anyway" she said, taking a bit of her sandwich. Thomas gave her a sympathetic look.

"Why's that, is everything okay?" He asked. Pepper suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, like she was under interigation. As much as she liked 'Matt' she wasn't exactly on the terms of telling him all about her failed pregnancy test, that was far too personal. She had barely been able to tell Emma without some stray tears forming in her eyes. She plastered a smile on her face and shook her head.

"Oh yeah, every thing's fine. Just some stuff..."

"What kinda stuff?" He pressed. Pepper frowned.

"I don't want to talk about it okay, it's really no ones business but mine and Tony's" she said, a little harder this time hoping that he would sense the tone. He didn't.

"Did you and Tony have a fight?" He asked. He just couldn't help himself, he suddenly wanted to know everything, wanted to know why his lovely Pepper would stay away from the office. From him.

"NO! Look I told you I don't want to talk about it!" She shouted this time, dropping her food back on her plate. "So drop it okay!"

"Pepper I only want whats best for you..."

"You hardly know me!" She shouted, standing up, "Look, get out!" Thomas also stood up and it was taking all his energy not to smirk. She looked so beautiful when she was angry.

"Not until you tell me whats wrong..." He was so calm but not even moving, which angered Pepper even more. She crossed her arms across her chest.

"I can have Colonel Rhodes here in less than 3 minutes to personally drag you out of here..." She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.

"That won't be necessary. I thought I told you to go home...not to MY home!" Tony snapped, striding in and gently moving Pepper aside. She couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief.

"Listen, I just wanted to see if she was alright..." Thomas started, his voice far less threatening that it had been. Tony snarled.

"That isn't any of your concern. Now I'm pretty damn sure I heard her ask you to leave" He said, grabbing Thomas by the collar of his shirt. It wasn't much of a struggle, Tony was far better built and stronger. Pepper just stood and watched as Thomas was pulled by the scruff of his neck out the door and dropped ungracefully outside the front gates.

"Oh and buddy, you're fired" Tony growled, behind the closed gate. Thomas sat there for a moment, metaphorically kicking himself. He'd let himself go too far and now his plans were going to have to move quicker than expected. With all the dignity he could muster he stood up and began to walk to his car.

Back inside Pepper was cleaning the kitchen, the food Thomas had brought had been dumping into the disposal. She heard the front door close and her breath caught in her throat. She didn't know if he was going to shout at her or scold her in some way for being so stupid. She'd known it herself, but there was something about 'Matt' that she trusted and it disturbed her. He didn't say anything as her enveloped her from behind, pulling her back against his chest.

"Please don't ever do something like that again" He whispered to her. There was no anger in his voice, she noticed, it was fear. He was scared for her.

"I didn't think...he'd brought food...he was just..."

"I know, but you have to be more careful, Imagine what might have happened if I hadn't come home from the office early" He said kissing her neck. She tipped her head back, knowing that he was right.

--

The sound of his door slamming was it. That was the sound that finally made Thomas Richmond snap. He had completely lost control of himself as he trashed the rooms. The TV was beaten with a crow bar until it was nothing but a pile of glass and plastic. There was nothing left by the time he had finished. Nothing but a bed, a chair and hundreds of pictures of Pepper Stark.

--

Right you lot! I had twice as many reviews by Chapter 4 of Influenza! I'm disappointed :-( Come on, the more reviews the more updates the more the shippers are kept happy (Who am I kidding, i'll update anyway...)


	6. Taken

Don't worry everyone! Just because I don't have as many reviews for this as I do for Influenza, I'm going to continue to write this the way it's been planned from the start and it makes me smile to know that I've got a few die hard fans haha! Rock and read on! Also just finish reading my Iron Man Book and it's so cute how Pepper came to work for Tony so I'm going to make reference to that (Apart from how she got the name Pepper)

--

"Mrs Stark, are you alright? I was just checking in before I went home" Jane asked as she popped her head into Peppers office. Pepper smiled warmly at the middle aged woman and nodded.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, just some things I need to catch up on. You go, have a good night" She said. The woman smiled and said her goodbyes, closing the door behind her while Pepper stretched out her neck. Since her day off yesterday she still had a mountain of paper work and emails to sort through which seemed never ending. The tapping on her keyboard was soon interrupted by a phone call, the picture instantly saying who it was.

"Hey honey" She said, pressing the speaker button so Tony's voice could fill the room, "Whats up?"

"Nothing really, I just thought you'd be home by now" He whined a little and Pepper giggled.

"I'm sorry, there was just so much to get through and then there was a crisis in marketing which I had to take care of but I promise I'll be home as soon as I can!" She heard him sigh a little on the other end of the phone.

"Okay well i'm getting take out so do you want your usual?" He asked. She grinned.

"You're the best, I'll see you soon okay?" He agreed and the phone line went dead, once again leaving Pepper with nothing but the tapping on her keyboard. She grunted and stood up, intent on making herself a coffee. As she left her office she paused looking up and down the hallway. It was strange to see the place so dark and empty. It was normally full of busy staff members going about their day.

Her heels echoed as she walked along the hallway towards the small kitchen that was used by all the assistants and she turned on the coffee machine, waiting patiently for the dripping to start. Her encounter with 'Matt' had freaked her out a little more than she cared to admit, the worst part being she was the one who had let him into her home. It really was a good thing Tony had come home when he did.

With a fresh mug of coffee in her hand she began to walk back to her office, tilting her head at the fact her office door was lying open. She was certain she had closed it. With a shrug she continued on, telling herself that she was just tired. She walked in without closing the door, not seeing the figure that was standing behind it.

The smell of coffee was gone and replaced with something heady and sharp as a cloth was shoved over her mouth and nose. The last thing Pepper heard was the smash of the coffee mug as it fell from her hands.

--

She wasn't picking up her phone. The night guards at Stark Industries hadn't seen her leave and informed him there was no sign of her in any of the buildings but her car was still in her usual parking space. She wasn't with Emma or Rhodes (Even though both of them were now in his house and just as worried as he was.)

Emma had decided to finally call the police to report her missing while Tony and Rhodes went out looking (Tony in the suit and Rhodes in the car.) It was as if Pepper had just vanished. No one had seen her. The police came round and asked Emma all sorts of questions about where she was last seen and what her schedule was. Emma was the only one the police could get a proper sentence from, all be it, a little shaky. Tony couldn't speak, every time he tried panic took over his lungs and he couldn't breath, forcing him to sit down. Rhodes stayed near his friend at all times, agreeing that he and Emma were going to stay with Tony until Pepper was found. He wouldn't be able to handle being on his own.

"Tony?" Emma said quietly, walking across the workshop floor to the white sofa he had in the corner. The news was on. Images of Pepper were all over it, the news reader going on and on.

_"Virginia Stark, wife of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark has been reported missing. Sources say she was last seen at Stark Industries head quarters and that her car is still there but there is no sign of her in any of the buildings. Virginia, better know to her friends as Pepper, began working at..."_

Emma sighed sadly, walking over and putting down a cup of coffee on the table in front of Tony. She sat down next to him, her eyes on the TV.

"News travels fast huh?" She said with a tiny laugh. Tony didn't say anything, he just kept watching as past videos of Pepper were played. Pepper at a news conference, Pepper walking down the street and the most cutting image of all, Tony and Pepper on their wedding day getting out of the car and going into the Four Seasons.

"Tony maybe you should turn this off, it's not going to do you any good" She said quietly. He shook his head and leaned forward onto his knees.

"No, leave it on...just...leave it on" He said quietly, rubbing his tired eyes, "I need the back ground noise" Emma just nodded.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" She asked.

_Other than my wife back? _Tony bit back the sarcastic comment, snapping at Emma, who was only trying to help, would do nothing to help the situation.

"No, I don't thanks" he said. She nodded and stood up.

"Okay. I'm going to go to bed but James is going to be up if you need anything" she said quietly. Her and Rhodes had decided it was a good idea to take shifts watching Tony. He was unstable most of the time and this wasn't going to help. She watched as he let his head tip backwards on the sofa and only when she had finally left him alone, he let the stray tears run down the sides of his face.

--

Her head was killing her as she woke, her eyes opening to nothing but fuzzy vision. She knew she was somewhere dark, that she was lying down and that her hands were tied with something. She looked up as her vision began to clear and saw that she was on an old metal bed, no sheets and her hands were tied with what looked like duct tape that had been rolled together to form crude rope. She tried to pull but her arms were weak, she still felt a little sick.

The room was dark and filthy but there was a TV sitting on what looked like a chair. It was the only thing giving light in the room. The windows were blacked out with wooden boards. She looked at the screen. There she was, the news reader was speaking about her, Pepper Stark: Missing. The headline blared out at her like a fog horn but she wasn't just on the TV. No, she was everywhere. All over the walls, some pictures from news papers, some from magazines and some that looked like they were taken up close with a camera. Whoever had taken her had been taking pictures of her, stalking her.

She wanted to be sick but she couldn't, her mouth was so dry. She struggled against her restraints, screaming and kicking as hard as she could, until her lungs wanted to give out. There was no reply. Suddenly the door rattled and opened, a man in a hood walking in and locking it behind him. He was carrying a bag in one hand and a gun in the other. She gulped back tears that were forming in her eyes, crying wouldn't do her any good now.

"Hey there" He said gently, taking off his hood. There stood Thomas 'Matt Coleville' Richmond in front of her with a smile on his face. He looked so happy, proud even to have her lying there, unable to move anywhere else. "Good to see you're finally awake" he said. Pepper sneered.

"You son of a bitch, let me go!" She shouted, her throat sore from all the screaming before, "I'll scream the place down!" He laughed.

"Oh Pepper, you can scream and shout until you're blue in the face but nobody is going to hear you. We're the only people left in this building. Just you and me darling"

"What do you want with me? I hardly know you, is it money?" She asked frantically. He shook his head sadly.

"Oh you know me, you used to know me very well" He said, moving over to another chair and swinging it round to sit on it backwards. "I hadn't thought about you for a really long time until someone gave me a wake up call" She noticed that he was developing a twitch in his left eye. It was doing nothing to help her calm.

"See, I was given a second chance...I had my face completely caved in and it took doctors weeks of sweat and hard work to finally put it back together. I'm not the man you used to know, I've changed Virginia!" He said, suddenly moving off the chair and bending down at the side of the bed.

"What? I've never met you before last week!" She shouted. He laughed.

"Come on! It's me! Look into my eyes and tell me that you don't know me!"

She turned to him and stared at the pools of cold grey, a horrible mixture of realisation, fear and nausea mixing in her gut. He was smiling at her now, knowing that she knew him.

"Thomas?" She breathed. He let out a laugh and sat back on the chair.

"You always were a smart girl!" he announced, "Way too smart to have stayed with a guy like me for so long...or with Tony Stark for that matter..." Pepper scowled at him.

"Tony is nothing like you!" She spat, "If you were even half the man..." He sentence was cut short by a hard stinging slap to the side of the face that made her breath catch in her throat. She almost choked on it.

"I'm ten times the man Tony Stark is!" He screamed, the twitch in his eye virtually uncontrollable. All Pepper could do was lie there, her breathing hard, as a red mark slowly began to appear on her cheek. Thomas took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down, smiling down at Pepper.

"Now...I've brought you fresh clothes to change into, i'm assuming you're a size 2?" He asked. Pepper didn't speak, she couldn't. He nodded. "Well when you want to change into them you let me know. I'll be in the other room" And with that he slowly walked over, turning off the TV and leaving the room. The door slammed shut, leaving Pepper alone in the darkness.


	7. Matthew Coleville

The bastard was right, Pepper thought bitterly. She had screamed and shouted until she was almost certain she had ripped her vocal chords. She lay there, gasping for breath between the sobs that she had finally failed to hold back. She was alone, she didn't know where she was and even if she did there was no way for her to even try and get out a message to Tony. To anyone for that matter. She was uncomfortable as hell, her shirt and pencil skirt were twisted around her body and as much as she hated to admit it, she was desperate to get changed.

She watched as he walked back in the room and turned the TV on again, the harsh light blinding her for a moment. He sat himself down.

"Time for the news again" he chuckled, "Always good to keep up with the events of the world" She didn't respond as he sat down, his own eye line following the news.

_"The wife of Tony Stark is still missing after 24 hours. Police are now questioning everyone who was in the Stark building on the night she went missing..."_

"Well well well, look at that. You made the news again Pep" She sneered and scrunched her nose up in disgust.

"Don't call me that" She snapped without really thinking. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her thoughtfully, the look on her face telling him that she really meant it.

"Okay...Pepper" He said, turning back to watch the news. Pepper sighed, her discomfort finally getting the better of her.

"Thomas?" She sighed in defeat, "I want to get changed and use the bathroom" He smiled at her, pulling a flick knife from his back pocket.

"Alright hon, but remember, one wrong move and a bullet goes through your throat" He said, waving the gun in her eye line as he cut her hands free. She gulped unconscious and nodded. Her wrists were burning and her shoulders ached as she brought them down from the position they were in and she stood up on shaky legs. He picked up the bag and threw it to her, gesturing to the small room.

"Bathrooms in there. Don't take too long or I just might forget to be nice" he said with a laugh. The joke was clearly lost on Pepper as she shuffled into the small room. There was hardly anything in there other than a toilet and a sink. The shower had obviously been ripped out at some time. she went about her business as quickly as she could, if this was him being nice she didn't want to see him being nasty. She pulled the clothes out of the bag, her brow furrowing at the clothes. A pair of 3/4 length jeans, a black fitted tee shirt and a pair of what looked like already worn in red low top Chuck Taylor's. As she got dressed she had a horrible feeling that she knew where these clothes had come from.

She was running her bruised wrists under a stream of cold water when he thumped on the door, Pepper jumping at the sudden noise.

"Come on! Hurry up!" He bellowed. Quickly she moved to the door and opened it, only to be grabbed by the arm and thrown back onto the bed. She could only lay still as once again her wrists were wrapped in a crude roll of duct tape and secured tightly to the bed, her shoulders burning at being shoved back into their previous position.

"I told you to be quick about it" He growled, a scowl over his face and his eye twitching furiously. Pepper closed her eyes tightly and did her best to shut out his insane ramblings. Maybe if she was lucky, her mind would let her sleep.

--

He hadn't moved from his spot on the sofa and the news had been on constantly, just in case something came up that he hadn't heard about (unlikely.) Every so often Rhodes or Emma would come down and check he was alright or leave him something to eat (He'd only taken a bite of pizza before realising he really wasn't hungry.)

"Tony?" Emma called down. He didn't turn around.

"Yeah?"

"There's an agent Coulston here to see you? He says he's from something called SHIELD?" She said. Tony nodded to himself, knowing it was only a matter of time before he was paid a visit from the little man.

"Send him down" He said but Coulston was already making his way towards him. Tony sighed and stood up to address the man, not caring if he looked like he'd been dragged behind a car or not.

"Mr Stark" Coulston said, extending his hand and then withdrawing it sheepishly when Tony didn't even bother looking towards it. He just nodded at the man.

"Agent Coulston, how nice of you to drop by" Tony drawled, "I'm sorry, I'm not in more of an entertaining mood but you may have noticed I have some bigger issues to deal with" Coulston just nodded. He wasn't sure if it was the stress that was making the man snippy or if it was just Tony being Tony. He decided it was due to stress.

"I know, that's why I'm here" He said, "I'm investigating this case personally" Tony rolled his eyes.

"Great...and what have you found out so far?" He asked, his arms folding over his chest. Coulston couldn't help but look uncomfortable.

"Well...obviously there are a lot of factors we need..."

"So not a damn thing then" Tony said in a monotone voice. Coulston could only nod and Tony's jaw set. "So why exactly are you here if you have nothing useful to say?" He snapped.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions, to find out if anything strange had been going on before Pepper disappeared" He said. Tony thought for a moment as Coulston studied his face.

"Yeah actually...there was this guy. Matt Coleville, I had to throw him out of my house a few nights ago" He said, rubbing his eyes as they stung from lack of sleep. Coulston nodded.

"Okay, we'll look into it. Thank you for your time Tony" he said, not even bothering to try and extend his hand before he turned on his heel and left the room. Tony frowned. He was going to do some digging of his own.

--

"So where are we?" She asked quietly. She thought that she may as well talk to him since she had nothing better to do, maybe he would drop his guard down? Or even let her go? It was unlikely but it wasn't like Pepper had any other option. He shrugged from his position in the room, where he was sitting sharpening his knife.

"Whats it to you?" He asked. Pepper would have shrugged back if she could but she was sure her shoulders had siezed up by now.

"Nothing, I was just making conversation, It isn't like I have anything better to do" She muttered. He smiled and dropped the knife to the floor, the clatter of the metal hitting the floor.

"Lets put it this way, we're not in a place anyone would expect to find a nice girl like you hiding" He grinned a toothy sadistic smile that made her stomach turn. It was so different from Tony's smile. Tony's smile was always warm, betraying exactly how he felt about her. Even when he was smiling at her like she was prey, like he was about to pin her against the wall, there was still something warm behind it. Thomas seemed to suck the warmth from the room, seemed to make her breath freeze in her chest and her heart thud so hard it hurt.

"So, were the only people here?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yup, nobodies gonna find you here sweetie" Pepper sucked in a breath. This wasn't the way she wanted the conversation to go.

"Great" They were silent for a moment until Thomas gave her a look of great curiosity.

"So...how did you come to work for Tony anyway?" He asked. Pepper thought for a moment and decided that it was the only way she'd get a conversation that didn't involve talking about her being missing.

"I was working in marketing. I checked numbers and one day I was just doing my job and some numbers came through that didn't look right. So I took them to my boss and he didn't even check them, he just told me I was wrong. So I went to his boss only to get told once again that I should stay out of what I don't know and that if I had that much of a problem with it then I should to to Tony Stark since he apparently had crunched those numbers personally" She said with a smile, "So I did"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I can still remember the look on his face as I stormed into his office, security trailing me and ready to throw me out. Tony stopped them and he told me that I was right and I'd saved his company about 3 million dollars. Next thing I know, he'd given me the huge office next to his and I was his PA. The rest is history" She finished, tears slipping free from her eyes. Thomas looked almost sympathetic.

"You really miss him don't you?" He asked. Pepper nodded, her throat was too choked to speak. In the blink of an eye Thomas had changed from sympathetic to irate, swiping his arm across as he stood up, sending the chair flying against the wall.

"So what? I'm not goo enough for you! Of course not because I'll never measure up to your precious Tony!" He spat, Pepper going rigid with fear. "Well you better get used to the darkness, you're going to be surrounded by it!" He stormed from the room, slamming the door shut. Once again Pepper was left to weep in the pitch black once again.

--

"Jarvis?"

"Yes sir"

"I need you to do a search on Matthew Coleville, I need everything about him that you can get" Tony said emerging from the bathroom where he finally decided that enough was enough. If the police and feds were going to move at a snails pace then fine but he wasn't willing to sit around and wait for news. Jarvis was quiet for a moment as Tony changed into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, his hair still dripping wet. He had to admit, feeling clean did make him think a little clearer.

"Matthew Coleville, born 1969 to Susan and Martin Coleville. Both parents were killed in a car crash in 1981. He graduated MIT with honours in physics and advanced chemistry. He had worked on China's cleaner air programme as well as a ten year residency at NASA" Jarvis said. Tony frowned, nothing out of the ordinary there.

"Anything else?"

"He used to live in Washington but relocated to Malibu 5 years ago" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"But...he told Pepper that he only just moved here" Tony said, more to himself than to Jarvis but the AI answered anyway.

"I believe many stalkers lie in order to become closer to their victims but I believe I found something a little strange" He said.

"Hit me"

"Matthew Coleville died in 1997"


	8. KFC Will Kill You

"So this guy actually isn't Matt Coleville at all?" Rhodes asked. He and Emma had both been pulled down to the work shop where Tony had been researching the man who had most likely taken his wife.

"Yeah, the real guy died in a car accident. Someone has just assumed his identity" He said. Rhodes nodded gravely.

"Who would do that though?" Emma asked quietly.

"Hard to say, there's probably a list as long as your arm of people that would do this to take advantage of the company or to try and get something"

"But there's been 4 days and there's been no communication, nothing asking for money or any demands. She's just been taken for apparently no reason" Tony sighed. His head was starting to hurt from the effort of constantly thinking about the various reasons why Pepper was taken from him, he didn't notice Emma put a glass of water and two aspirin in front of him.

"Try and think, is there anyone at all who Pepper has ever had a run in with? Anyone who would want to hurt her or you?" Rhodes said. Tony shut his eyes remembering that day. He had crash landed in the guys garden, he had only wanted to scare him but he'd lost control of his temper. He could still remember how the man looked lying on the kitchen floor, bleeding everywhere, his face a bloody pulp.

"Jarvis, do a search for Thomas Richmond...specifically his medical history if you can" Tony said suddenly, downing the aspirin and the water in one quick gulp. Rhodes raised an eyebrow, looking to Emma who shrugged and looked as confused as he did.

"Thomas Richmond was admitted to hospital several months ago requiring ten seperate reconstructive facial surgeries" Jarvis said. Tony sneered.

"Have you got a picture? A before and after?" On the screen in front of them was a profile photo of two different men. The man on the left looked fairly handsome with a strong bone structure but the man on the right looked totally different. His cheeks and eyes seemed to be sinking back into his head, his jaw was rounded and no where near as sculpted and there was a nasty scar on his face.

"Oh my God...I know that guy, is that the same person?" Emma asked walking closer to the screen.

"What? Who is it?" Rhodes asked.

"Well the guy on the left is Thomas Richmond, he was a boyfriend of Peppers. They had some pretty bad history, I don't really want to go into it..." She trailed off as Rhodes stared at Tony. He wasn't angry or upset but he looked disappointed.

"Tony...tell me you didn't..." He began.

"I couldn't stop myself, I just wanted to put the fear of God in him a bit..."

"You caved the guys face in!" Rhodes shouted. Tony didn't even flinch.

"I know, it was a really bad call. I couldn't control my temper and now I'm paying for it because that is the same guy!" Tony shouted, pointing to the screen.

"What?"

"The guy who was posing at Matt Coleville is Thomas Richmond! Peppers violent ex, the guy I threw through some french windows to add insult to injury and the guy who probably has her now!" Rhodes nodded.

"Right. I'm going to check the guys appartment" Tony nodded.

"Me too, I'm going to suit up"

"I'll call agent Coulston" Emma said running up the work shop stairs to find the phone, praying to herself that Tony would be able to keep his temper if they found Thomas.

--

In the time she had spent lying there alone and in the mans company, Pepper had noticed something about Thomas, his mood was never stable. He would be pleasant for a while until she said something that would set him off, most times it was something to do with Tony. He would storm out of the room, leaving her in the dark and then he would come back with what almost seemed like an apology. It was like he didn't want to make her upset or angry.

This time when he came back in the room he had brought her something better than an apology she didn't care about. He had only been in the room 5 minutes when there was a knock at the door. Quickly he threw a duvet over the top of Pepper. She could only just hear the conversation which sounded like a delivery. When the duvet was finally pulled off her she could smell the amazing scent of fried chicken filling the room. It had only just occurred to her that she hadn't eaten in a very long time. He had bought her food.

"I thought you'd probably be hungry by now" He said, "But remember anything funny and I swear I will not hesitate to shoot you" He said. Pepper nodded, locking eyes with him and knowing he was completely serious. They sat and ate in almost complete silence, CNN was the only noise in the room. She'd never eaten to quickly in her life, she hadn't thought about food until the scent had invaded her nose and made her stomach growl. She had almost finished when something on news caught both her and her captors attention.

_"There has been a significant development in the Virginia Stark disappearance. Police and federal officials are searching for a man named Thomas Richmond. He is believed to be going by the name Matt or Matthew Coleville and is believed to extremely unstable" _

Thomas lept to his feet, his own bucket flying falling to the floor. He grabbed Pepper by the arm, throwing her down and roughly trying her back to the bed before he ran out the door to check the front of the abandoned apartment building. She pulled on her restraints and paused when she heard a small tearing sound. Thomas, in his haste to try and check the place, didn't tie her properly. She pulled hard and felt her arms go free, her shoulders jarring at the strain. She could hear him coming back and moved her hands back into their position, hoping that in the dark he wouldn't notice that her hands were free.

--

"I don't get it..." Rhodes said, looking up at the building. "This isn't a bad area, its pretty average" It was true. It wasn't a bad area, Pepper herself had lived there for a number of months before Tony had relocated her to a nicer area. She hadn't wanted to go but Tony had insisted.

"What? What do you mean?" Tony said. He was hovering above the building, talking to Rhodes via the other mans mobile. Rhodes shrugged.

"I mean that this doesn't look like the kind of place he'd want to keep a kidnapped girl, there's too many people around!" He said. Tony growled under his breath and Rhodes ignored it.

"Check it anyway, i'm going in a different way" He said.

"What does that..." Rhodes was cut off by the sound of crushing plaster and brick from the top of the apartment building where Tony had plowed his way through the roof. Quickly, Rhodes ran in to meet him.

Rhodes was right, Tony thought, the place looked pretty normal. It was a little run down but genenrally in good order. On each door was the name of the people or person who lived there, all accept from number 9. A plain dark green door with no name but just an old rusty number. With a scowl Tony kicked it down and walked inside to find...nothing.

The place was empty. No chairs, no shelves, no TV. Nothing that would possibly hint that someone was a resident at the address Tony had just crashed his way into. Then he realised what it was that was so creepy about the room, apart from the lack of personal touch. The room was covered in pictures of Pepper but only a few of them remained on the wall. Some were crumpled and lying all over the floor. Tony's chest began to feel tight and he had to open the front of his helmet to help him breath.

"What the hell..." Rhodes muttered as he walked in, taking in the view for himself. Tony nodded a little.

"I know...I was right, it is him" He muttered. Rhodes nodded.

"Yeah but he's clearly not here anymore..."

"Thank you Colonel obvious...Jarvis I need another search of anything 'Matt Coleville' has done, anything he's bought, anywhere he's been seen. I don't care how small!" He snapped. The AI was silent for a moment before speaking.

"An order was placed at the local KFC to be delivered under the name M Coleville" He said.

"Do you have the address?"

"Yes sir...I'm transmitting the address to the screen now"

It took Rhodes a second to realise what was happening as Tony flew from the room up through the roof, plaster falling on the other man who was left to sprint back to his car and follow the gold and red stripe in the sky.


	9. Couldn't Put Thomas Together Again

She lay as still as she possibly could while Thomas paced the room they were in like a caged tiger, clearly panicked by the situation. His face was all over the news, there was no where for him to go other than to stay put and hope that something else wouldn't go wrong. No, he thought, they had to move. It was only a matter of time before the police, or worse, broke down his door.

"Right. We're leaving!" He shouted walking into the next room and shoving things in an old beaten rucksack. Pepper shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" She spat. If there was anyway she was going to escape she knew it would have to be a surprise attack. He was bigger than her and about ten times as strong. There was no way she'd be able to take him on head to head. Then she had an idea, letting her head fall back and her eyes close.

"I don't think you...Pepper?" He asked, suddenly realising that her eyes were closed. He rushed over to her, his head hovering about her face, "Pepper? Come on answer me!"

Suddenly and with as much force as she could possibly summon, Pepper shoved the top of her head into his nose, shattering the already fragile bone, send Thomas reeling backwards with a scream of pain. She ignored her weak legs as she threw herself from the bed, running out of the unlocked door into the hallway that was just as dark and filthy as the room she had been kept in. She didn't dare look behind her, in horror movies that was always the victims mistake and they always ended up dead because of it. She ran down the stairs and onto the next floor, shouldering doors and pray that one of them would open as she could hear him shouting and following her.

Then one of them did.

Her shoulder was burning as she rammed her way into the old apartment, desperately finding somewhere to hide. She didn't have time for options as she pushed herself into the gap between an old bed and the dusty wooden floor.

"Pepper?" He called. She could hear his foot steps out in the hallway as he checked the doors. Another one opened opposite to the apartment she was in and his foot steps began to quiet slightly. She allowed herself to breath normally for a moment, praying that he wouldn't find her. It was a short lived break as his foot steps began to grow in volume once more.

"Come on out Pepper, The longer I have to look the more angry I get...You're not doing yourself any favours sweetie" He called, as if he was speaking to a child. Then she saw them. In the doorway of the bedroom she could see his feet, heavy boots were slowly walking into the room. She covered her mouth with her hands to prevent any whimpers leaking out and betraying her location. She tried to keep her breathing as light as possible but it was so hard with the thick layer of dust that was surrounding her.

Her eyes widened as the boots stopped in front of the bed, which she was currently scrunched under like a snickers wrapper. She wasn't sure what he was doing, maybe Thomas wasn't sure himself what he was doing, but she was certain she was about to get caught.

"PEPPER?!" A very familiar voice filled the whole complex. Thomas had been inches away from looking under the bed when he shot bolt upright and turned towards the door to see who shouted in the first place. Pepper couldn't help but grin under her hands, although it wasn't Tony who had shouted, it was still a familiar voice.

"Who's there!?" Thomas shouted from the doorway.

"This is Colonel Rhodes of the United States Air Force. SHIELD have this place surrounded, it is in your best interests to surrender now!" Rhodes shouted. Pepper guessed he was a little way down the stairs since he sounded like he was below them. She watched as Thomas moved further out of the apartment and into the hallway. If she was very fast and very lucky she could make the run to the stairs and jump down them if she had to. Maybe there was a benefit to having changed into the casual clothes he had brought her.

"And if I don't?" Thomas shouted back. Pepper slid out slowly from under the bed. He was fully in the hallway now, he wouldn't see her until she was out.

"Then we have the authority to open fire and shoot to kill if need be! You don't want it to end that way! Now release Pepper!"

She went for it. As quickly as she could she sprinted towards the stairs, her feet pounding and making dust fly from the old floor, but it wasn't enough. Thomas wasn't as far from the door as she had thought and he lunged at her, managing to grab her by the leg causing her to fall, her face hitting off the ground creating a nasty cut on her forehead that began to drip down the left side of her face. She could see Rhodes slowly making his way up the stairs, 3 agents behind him, their guns all on Thomas.

"Come any closer and I'll shoot! Don't think I won't do it!" He shouted, the gun pressed firmly in Pepper's temple and his forearm wrapped tightly around her neck. She caught Rhodes eyes for just a moment and he took another step forward.

"See I don't think you will, we both know that you don't want anything to happen to her. That's why you brought her clothes, food and that's why you didn't ask for money. It wasn't a hostage situation, you just want to keep her all for yourself" He said. Thomas twitched a little. It made Pepper even more nervous than she already was.

"He doesn't deserve her..." Thomas said, his hands shaking in turn making the gun quiver against Pepper's skin. She winced against the feeling. Rhodes noticed that Thomas was moving backwards towards the next set of stairs. Towards the roof.

--

Her eyes burned as the hot California sun hit her when Thomas threw the door open, pulling her onto the roof. There was nothing he could do, no where he could go other than down. A very long way down. Rhodes and the agents slowly followed him, Rhodes talking to him to keep him calm as they went.

"I'd treat her properly this time you know, I just wanted the chance!" Thomas whined. Rhodes nodded.

"I know you do man but you gotta understand that Pepper is married now. How would you feel if you were Pepper's husband and someone took her from you huh?" Thomas looked thoughtful for a moment then shook his head.

"But I wouldn't let them! This is why he doesn't deserve her!"

"I couldn't agree more"

A strangely familiar voice was suddenly behind them and Pepper felt the arm that was around her neck quickly release. She didn't waste any time in running towards Rhodes, who grabbed her with outstretched arms. Tony had Thomas by both wrists in a crushing grip, the bone crunching under his hands.

"Well...those Doctors did a good job of putting you back together" he said before landing his face straight into Thomas, the man's already broken face being crushed once more. "I wonder if they can do it again?"

Thomas stared at the man in the suit, his vision starting to blur.

"You! It's you who did this to me in the first place!" He shouted. Tony released the latch on his helmet so that Thomas could see his face.

"Yup, Me me me" He quipped before throwing the man to the floor. "But you're not my problem anymore" He shut his helmet and looked towards Rhodes and a terrified Pepper. He was desperate to reach out and wrap his arms around her but he knew she wouldn't go near him while he was in the suit.

"Rhodes, I'm going to de-suit, get Pepper to a hospital and i'll meet you there!" He said, his voice morphed by the mask he was wearing. She didn't bother looking back at the crumpled heap of a man who was being picked up and dragged away by SHEILD agents. She just wanted to go home.

--

He had only been out of the suit a few minutes and was in the process of pulling on his leather jacket when he heard the front door open. In confusion he dropped his car keys back on the table and jogged up the stairs. There stood Pepper, the cut on her head cleaned and dressed, with Rhodes standing next to her looking defeated.

"Tony...I'm sorry" He said as he walked forward with a confused raised eyebrow. "She said if I didn't drive her here then she'd steal my car keys and drive herself"

Tony couldn't help but laugh at the thought as he pulled her close to him. He didn't think he'd want to let her go ever again as he held her against him, pressing a kiss to her hair and willing himself to not cry. He nodded to Rhodes.

"Think I've rubbed off a little, don't worry about it" Rhodes smiled.

"Okay, i'm gonna go to bed. No point in waking Emma till the morning" He said. Tony sighed, he'd totally forgotten that Emma had even been staying with them. He had more important things to think of at that moment in time. They stood in complete silence for what seemed like forever, her head against his chest and her eyes closed, almost trying to memorise the rhythm his heart was beating in.

"Pep?" Tony whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Are...you okay?" He asked. He felt her shake against him as she giggled.

"I'm just really happy to be home" She sighed, "I just want to take a shower and go to bed" She said with a smile, kissing him and walking towards their bedroom, leaving Tony standing completely bewildered and alone in their living room.

--

It was the best feeling in the world as the steaming hot water hit her skin, washing away all the dirt and grime the past week had thrown at her. She did her best not to pay attention to the bruises around her arms from where he had grabbed her or the marks round her wrists from where she had been tied. She promised herself she would be fine, a smile on her face would make everything go back to the way it was.

She grabbed her fresh shorts and tee shirt, pulling them on and savoring the feel of the soft clean cotton against her skin. It was only when she looked in the mirror that the smile fell from her face. She looked pale with dark circles under her eyes, the cut on the side of her forehead looked a little red and angry. She could still feel the gun against her skin and the arm around her neck as tears began to run down her face and for the first time since she was safe, Pepper cried.

"Sir?" Jarvis said, pulling Tony's focus from his work station. Tony had decided it would be best to give Pepper some space and let her settle back into the house before joining her.

"Yeah?"

"I believe you should know that Mrs Stark is upset" He said. Tony frowned and dropped the pen he was playing with, standing up from his seat.

"What do you mean upset?"

"I believe she is crying sir" Tony sighed and ran his through his already messy hair, making his way quickly towards their bedroom. She wasn't in the bedroom but he could hear crying softly from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Pepper?" He said quietly, pressing himself against the door. She quickly wiped her face.

"Yeah?" She said, so quietly he could barely hear her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, mentally kicking himself at the stupid question. She took in a shuddery breath.

"Well...I got kidnapped by a crazy man, I was tied to a bed in the dark and I got held hostage" She squeaked, "So i'm not great" she opened the door and fell into him, openly sobbing on his shoulder as he held her tightly, closing his own eyes and stroking her damp hair. He let his own tears fall as she cried and when he was telling her that it was going to be alright and that he'd never let anything happen to her again, he was telling himself as well.


	10. Hello In Laws

Please look out for my new story that will be up soon. It has nothing to do with this storyverse but it's something a little bit different although it'll still end up tony/Pepper - It'll be called "Sweet About Me"

--

The house was exactly as she remembered it, complete with the annoying English voice as well. It wasn't exactly a normal time in the morning to arrive unannounced but considering the circumstances she thought it was quite justified. She nodded to her husband who shuffled in behind her, carrying their massive bags and grunting a little with the effort. She made a tutting sound as she wiped her finger over the edge of a table, rubbing them together and examining the tiny amount of dust she picked up.

Then she was at their bedroom door, opening it and smiling at the sight of the two lumps lying under the duvet. Soon she realised that neither of them had their heads above the duvet and she couldn't tell which one was her daughter. If only she knew which side she slept on. With the tilt of her head she moved over to the left of the bed and grabbed hold of the end of the duvet, yanking it off the head of the person sleeping.

If there was something that made Tony Stark scream like a girl, it was waking up with his mother in law's face right in front of his. His high pitched yelp sent Linda Potts a few steps backwards and yanked Pepper from her relaxing sleep.

"Linda?"

"Mom?!" Pepper exclaimed sitting up slowly, "What on earth are you doing here?" She asked. Linda stood and caught her breath for a moment before answering.

"Well I would have called but I felt it would be more appropriate for a visit" She said. Pepper noticed that her voice was a little strained and short.

"Wow...Um, I can't say I'm not surprised..." Pepper started, only to be cut off suddenly.

"Why would you be surprised? My eldest daughter goes missing, I only hear once from someone who isn't even a member of my family and then no one returns my phone calls! This was my only option!" She snapped. Tony stood up and walked towards his mother in law

"Linda...I'm sorry..I..." Tony never got to finish his sentence. A slap on the face halted all the words ready to come from his mouth. He stood wide eyed and speechless for moment before turning back and getting back into the bed, pulling the duvet over his head. Pepper patted the lump of person lightly and pointed to her mother with her other hand as if she was speaking to a child.

"Mother, that is the last time you get to slap my husband!" She said. Linda held her hands up in surrender.

"Alright, but you have to admit he deserved it"

"Like hell I did!" Came the muffled reply from under the blanket. Pepper smirked a little and looked at the time.

"Tell me you brought Dad with you?"

"Yes, yes, your father is down the stairs with our bags" she said. Pepper nodded a little.

"Okay, well the guest room you used the last time is free. Emma and Rhodey is in the room next door so try and be quiet!" Linda nodded, making her way around the bed to embrace her daughter.

"Alright sweetheart, i'll see you in a few hours" she said, kissing Pepper on the cheek. She walked to the door and turned back to look towards the bed.

"Night Tony"

"Night Linda" came the muffled reply. It was only when Tony heard the door close did he come out from under the covers, bathing the room in a light blue glow.

"Why is it every time your mother comes by I get a slap across the face?" He asked. Pepper giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hm I am starting to think that it's her way of saying hello to you...don't worry, you have at least...3 more hours before we have to get out of bed" He smiled a little and lay back on his pillow, Pepper following suit.

"I was going to tell you this morning" He started, "But I arranged a vacation for...well originally you and me...then I got convinced to bring Rhodes and Emma, which I can deal with by the way" he said. Pepper grinned, a vacation was sounding exactly like something she could do with.

"Really? Where?" She asked.

"Same place we went on our honeymoon...but it looks like I'm going to have to arrange 2 more spaces" He said. Pepper continued to grin and kissed him.

"You are amazing..."

"I know"

"And your cheek is bright red"

"...I know"

--

Emma Potts yawned as she wandered from her bed towards the kitchen, pulling her hair into a rough ponytail as she went. It had been a mad couple of days and she was so looking forward to just kicking back on a beach with her boyfriend. She giggled at the thought of calling Rhodes her boyfriend. Her friends back home would never believe she was going out with a hot and sexy military man. With a skip in her step she turned the corner into the kitchen, it was still dark, and she began to pour herself a coffee, not noticing the man she'd been thinking about coming up behind her. She grinned with a shiver as he kissed her neck.

"Morning baby" He whispered into her hair. Emma put her mug down.

"Morning, I thought you'd still be sleeping" She said. He shrugged.

"You know me, I'm up with the sun" He drawled, turning her around. She gave him a wicked grin and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hmm well you know that no one else up yet...we've got a few hours to kill" He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm feelin' that...how about you and me..." He paused, catching someone from the corner of his eye. Emma turned her head to follow his eye line and see what he was looking at. There stood Linda, her arms crossed, an eyebrow raised in question and her toe tapping.

"No no James, go on, finish what you were about to say" she said innocently. Emma's jaw practically hit the floor and Rhodes blushed.

"Mom, when did you get here?" She asked, untangling herself from Rhodes and walking forward.

"Early this morning, it's alright your sister and Tony already know" She said, "Really Emma, in your sisters kitchen of all places. I thought I taught you better" Emma blushed and looked down to the floor.

"Good morning all" Tony chirped happily as he walked into the kitchen followed by Pepper. He stopped and looked between the three people standing in his kitchen. "What's going on?"

"I just caught these two practically fornicating in your kitchen" Linda muttered. Pepper smiled and shook her head, moving her laughing husband out of the way so she could get to the fridge. 'If only she knew' Tony thought.

"Well since everyone is here, how about we sort out breakfast?" Emma said, looking to Pepper who nodded in agreement.

"yeah and i'll sort out those two extra places" Tony muttered, grabbing his phone from the counter. Linda gave him a confused look.

"Extra places? What extra places?"

"For the vacation we were all taking" Emma said, "We're leaving tomorrow and we can't just leave you here" She said. Tony bit his tongue hard to stop himself from replying to her comment.

"Well that sounds lovely, but i'll have to go shopping. There's so many things I haven't brought with me!" Linda said. Pepper and Emma glanced at each other, rolling their eyes between them.

"Okay Mom, we'll take you out later" Pepper said, pulling things from the fridge.

Tony sighed as he got off the phone. The two extra places were booked but all he'd really wanted was a second honeymoon with Pepper. She didn't seem to mind that Emma and Rhodes were coming and if he was honest the idea was growing on him too but to have his mother and father in law there as well, that was something he was finding a little difficult to deal with.

"Hey are you okay?" Rhodes asked, leaning next to him on the counter. Tony nodded.

"Yeah...oh, apart from the fact that our relaxing vacation has now turned into a relaxing vacation with my in laws" Rhodes nodded in agreement.

"Hey, at least she didn't catch you almost telling her daughter, her youngest daughter, some of the things you were planning while everyone was still asleep" He said. Tony didn't respond, he just started laughing again.

--

I'm not too happy with this chapter, it really is more of a filler to carry the plot on. It'll get better I promise!!


	11. A Little Bump or Two

Right let me explain something about the character of Linda. She isn't meant to be nasty she is meant to be someone who is constantly fighting for control of her family and doesn't enjoy the fact that she has lost it. She is more comic slap stick (Also its the second time something very serious has happened to her daughter and people have failed to keep her informed) I'm sorry to people who don't like the family aspect but the idea is that Tony has in-laws and he needs to deal with it. So you deal with it too :-) Okay, Rant over. Happy reading!

--

The house seemed to be alive with the random voices of the Pott's women as they all tried to pack. Pepper of course was trying to be as organised as possible, logging everything that was being taked from her wardrobe with the help of Jarvis. Emma on the other hand was being her normal chaotic self, throwing things into the case without a second thought.

"PEPPER!"

"WHAT!?"

"CAN I BORROW..."

"NO"

"AW"

"GIRLS WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

The men of the house had been packed for hours and were currently all sitting out in the sun with a scotch each, doing thier best to block out the shouting.

"So you're going to do it then?" Tony asked Rhodes. The darker man grinned and nodded gently.

"Yeah, I think I am. I just...i've never felt this way about anyone you know? I don't plan to let that go anytime soon" He said. James nodded.

"Well I support it, I like you son. I like both of you, you're good for my daughters" He said, taking a sip and letting the amber liquid burn a comforting trail down his throat. Tony looked into his glass sadly.

"James...you know i'm sorry..." James waved his hand at the younger man to stop talking.

"Tony. When I asked you if you'd break my little girls heart you told me that you couldn't promise anything but you'd do your best. I still like that honesty and you did nothing wrong" He said, patting him on the shoulder, "Okay so maybe we would have liked more than just one phone call...at least for Linda's sake. She does get very...highly strung"

Tony didn't say anything but he nodded in agreement. His cheek knew fine well what Linda was like when she was upset about something. The doors above them opened and Pepper began to walk down the stairs, smiling at the sight in front of her.

"Well nice to see you're all nice and relaxed" She quipped walking over and sitting in her husbands lap, her arms going around his neck and his aroud her waist. "I take it all of you are packed?" the other men nodded.

"Well good because we're all ready to go..." She said, pausing at the looks on the men's faces, "What we're you talking about?"

"Sports" "Politics" "Movies" They all said at once. Pepper tilted her head at them then rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Don't tell me! Happy is going to have the car round in half an hour so get a move on" She kissed Tony on the cheek and stood up, leaving the men to breath a sigh of relief.

--

The plane even had Linda speechless, which everyone was thankful for. It made Tony more than a little smug, it was about time that something of his impressed the woman (You'd have thought it would have been the talking house.) The plane took off on time with everyone's luggage stored and soon they were an hour into their journey.

"Are you okay Pep? You're looking a little bit...pale" Emma said. Peppe gave her a weak smile and nodded, looking up from her magazine.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, just feeling a little bit off I guess"

"Off? What do you mean off? You never use the word off unless its something important" she said, taking a sip of her orange juice that one of the male flight attendants put down (The female flight attendants had been dismissed shortly after his relationship with Pepper had established itself)

"Just...off you know? Little bit queasy and tired" She said. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Virginia Potts, cut the bull and talk to your sister!" She said, her voice in a low but hard whisper. Pepper looked around her to check that the other passengers were out of ear shot. Tony and Rhodes were talking at the table near the other end of the plane while Linda and James were playing cards.

"I'm late" she said quietly, her head tilted towards her sisters. Emma looked confused.

"Late...late for what?"

"Emma. I'm. _LATE_" Pepper stressed making signals with her eyes. Emma's eyes widened.

"Oh my...have you taken a test?"

"When have I had time?! Between Tony fussing over me since i've been home and Mom and Dad turning up...i've just not had a chance" she said quietly. Emma nodded.

"I know but don't you worry, I promise as soon as this plane touches down we're going to a drug store and we'll get you a test!" She said with a smile, grabbing hold of Pepper's hand. Pepper looked pensively at her sister.

"But..."

"But what?" Emma asked. Pepper sighed.

"Last time...I got so excited and it was negative...I don't know if I want that again" Emma smiled at her sister.

"Well then...we'll buy more than one and we'll really have to make sure" Pepper couldn't help but smile back at Emma's optimism and once again she was daring to hope that something might go right for her and Tony, they needed something to focus on other than the constant danger and the past circumstances that had surrounded Pepper. Both of them jumped at the sudden interruption.

"Hey, what are you girls talking about?" Tony asked. Both of them looked at him like a deer in headlights.

"Nothing!"

--

Tony was stil frowning slightly as he, Rhodes and the rest of the Potts clan burst into the large Villa. Pepper had been unusually quiet in the car on the drive from the plane and every time he had asked about she had simply smiled sweetly at him and told him everything was fine and he hadn't to worry. It was easier said than done.

There were nights that he woke up in a cold sweat thinking about all the things that had happened to them. To her. When he felt really low he sometimes wondered if it was all worth it, if what he was doing being "Iron Man" was really worth the danger he was obviously putting his family in and that was with just the two of them, he didn't want to imagine what would happen if there was a baby involved. Not that he didn't want to try.

Sometimes when he couldn't sleep, he would lie awake with Pepper in his arms wondering what their child would be like. He could imagine a little girl with his own dark eyes and Pepper's pale skin and freckles. He hoped she would have Pepper's hair but he knew that the dark gene almost always over took pale. He knew she'd definitely be a daddy's girl and he smiled at the thought of how much he'd spoil the two women in his life. Or maybe they would have a boy. Another Antony Stark to carry on the family name who would look exactly like him. He could tech him about cars and they could work on projects together. He hated the stinging disappointment he'd felt at the negative result of the first test, but it was only their first.

Emma pulled Rhodes to the side as the family began to get themselves settled into the holiday Villa, Tony telling James how he was considering just giving up and buying the place since he came here so often.

"I need a favour babe" she said quietly, rolling her eyes at Rhodes cheeky grin, "No! I mean a real favour"

"What's up?" He asked. Emma looked around to check nobody who shouldn't hear what was going to be said was in ear shot.

"I need you to distract Tony while Pepper and I go out..." she said quietly. Rhodes looked confused.

"Well sure but...why? Just tell him you and Pepper are going out on your own?"

"He's hardly left Pepper's side since she came back and this is something that Tony doesn't need to know about yet" she said. Rhodes gave her a wide eyed and excitedly Innocent look.

"Can I know?" He asked. Emma smiled and bent up to whisper in his ear.

"Pepper might be pregnant..."

"PREGNANT!?" He suddenly shouted without realising the volume of his voice.

"SHH! We don't know for sure yet! Just keep Tony busy" she said in a hard whisper. Rhodes nodded, his hands shaking a little with excitement.

"Sure sure. Go now, I'll handle him!" he said kissing her on the cheek and walking off towards James and Tony, leaving Emma to run off with Pepper.

--

She could remember the last time she was in this position, standing in the middle of her bathroom holding onto the little white and blue stick. After an hour of running around the private resort they had finally found a pharmacy and a wall of tests. Pepper just grabbed a handful of the first brand she could find, just wanting to hurry the process along.

Of course it wasn't exactly last time. Last time she was at home in her own bathroom, this time she was in a private villa in the bathroom that was next to the master bedroom. Emma had come in and immediately taken the attention away from Pepper, allowing her to sneek away into the bedroom.

She took in a deep breath, fighting away the churning feeling that was swamping her stomach. It was now or never and she wanted to know while she was on her own. Call it selfish, but she wanted a small moment where it was only her alone that would know if she was a mother or not. She silently counted in her head, quickly turning the little stick over and opening her eyes to the answer.

Her chest tightened. Her breath caught in her throat and her knees practically buckled from under her. She could feel her hand unconsciously go to her stomach and a teary smile was on her face. She began to giggle as she pushed herself up from the floor, walking through to the bedroom she shared with her husband. That was the next hurdle. How was she going to tell Tony?

She didn't have time to think about it as the door of their room began to open and without thinking she threw the test to the floor and it slid under the bed. She plastered a grin to her face, not that it was difficult, as he walked in.

"Hey, I thought you weren't feeling great?" he said with a small smile, "I came to check on you" She shrugged.

"Oh, No I was just a little tired. Went for a lie down that's all" She said, her eyes darting towards the bed. The action didn't go unnoticed by Tony.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, walking towards the other side of the bed. Pepper shrugged.

"Nothing, I...I just dropped my Blackberry under there" She lied, trying to think of something believable. Tony smiled.

"I told you not to bring that but i'll grab it for you!" he said, suddenly dropping down to the side of the bed and sliding himself under. Pepper panicked, running around to the side he was currently sticking out of.

"Tony..."

"I don't see a..." He stopped mid sentence and she knew he had picked up the test. The positive test. She was frozen, knelt down beside his legs as his top half was completely under the bed.

"Pepper?"

"Yeah Tony?"

"Is this what I think it is?" He said quietly, his voice was shaking slightly. Pepper smiled despite the worry about his tone in the back of her head.

"Yes..."

"So...So...you're..."

"Pregnant"

There was suddenly a crack and the bed shook as Tony had tried to lift his head quickly, forgetting he was still under the bed. The back of his head connected hard with the metal frame and he yelped in pain. Pepper winced for him, swearing she almost felt it herself and she rubbed his back in sympathy.

"Tony, are you okay sweetie?" she asked. There was no answer as Tony rubbed the back of his head, his eyes still fixed on the test.

"Yeah...Ow" He said lightly, shuffling himself out from under the bed with the help of Pepper and sitting up his knees. Pepper smiled weakly at him, placing her hand over the back of his head to check in case he was bleeding.

"Well...I think you'll live. No permanent damage" She said with a small laugh but Tony still looked shocked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, almost sounding wounded. Pepper smiled at him.

"Tony, I only found out myself about two seconds before you walked in the room" She said gently and he smiled weakly at her, the news still sinking in. Slowly he shifted position so he was sitting comfortably and he pulled her onto his lap, kissing her gently. He grinned at her.

"So...you're happy yeah?" She asked and he continued to grin like a little boy who had been given a monster truck to play with. Pepper grinned back and he kissed her again passionately. Neither of them felt the need to move from each others arms at that moment in time, both content to just sit in silence with the news only between the two of them. They knew the peace would never last and they wanted to keep it for as long as possible. It was soon broken however by a sudden frantic banging on the door.

"Pepper!?" Emma said, panic clearly in her voice, "I lost Tony! He just suddenly disappeared, I think he might be coming your way! Did you take the test yet?" He voice drifted through the door and Pepper had her eyes closed in defeat. Tony shock her a look of mock hurt.

"Why Pepper Stark, did you ask your sister to keep me occupied? I'm hurt!" he said. Pepper playfully slapped him on the arm and she shouted towards the door.

"It's cool Emma. He's in here" She shouted and the door opened. Emma looked between the two of them.

"Well?" Pepper didn't say anything. She just smiled and nodded at her sister, who let out a scream of delight and ran towards the middle of the house while shouting, "IT'S POSITIVE!" Pepper sighed with a smile and let her head drop to Tony's shoulder, the couple both laughing at the prospect of the next nine months.


	12. Dead Lines

Hello all! I'm sorry there has been such a long wait but a mixture of university, moving house and a car accident among other things completely side tracked me. However I am now ready to finish my story for all you lovely people :)

* * *

*8 and a half months later*

Pepper sighed as she stood staring at her blossoming form in the mirror, two pairs of jeans in her hands. Having always been slender, Pepper was starting to discover one of the major drawbacks to being pregnant. Almost nothing fitted her properly anymore. With another frustrated growl she dumped the jeans onto the floor and pulled out her old faithful pair that seemed to grow along with her. After a brief moments consideration she picked a baby blue empire lined top to match, the only thing that would flatter her stomach.

Her frustration was short lived however as she gently caressed her stomach. She knew that the nine months of nothing fitting her and back pain was worth it. If you had told her over a year and a half ago that she would be married to Tony Stark and carrying his child she would have laughed in your face but she was a new Pepper now. She was Pepper Stark.

"Ah God damn son of a bitch!" A voice rang through the house and she sighed in good nature, leaving her wardrobe and walking down the hallway towards a room currently under construction. The walls were painted a light cream colour, the ceiling a sky blue with white fluffy clouds dotted around. The window was high enough to let the morning sun shine in but allow shade in the afternoon, to shield their baby away from the hard California sun.

On the window shelf sat pictures of their new editions family: Of the grandparents to be Linda and James, of Aunt Emma and Uncle Rhodes and, of course, of Tony and Pepper. The room would have been perfect if it wasn't for Tony sitting in the middle, surrounded by pieces of light pine and sucking on his thumb.

"Are you alright in here?" Pepper asked with an amused smile playing on her lips as she stood in the doorway. Tony scowled in frustration.

"I don't want to sound big headed" he began, ignoring the snort from his loving wife, "But I am a genius, in fact, I'm better than a genius! You've have to drive a rail road spike into my head to bring my IQ down enough to class me as a genius!" He exclaimed, his hands flailing around his head.

"Yes, what's your point?" She asked. Tony stared at her, his eyes wide with annoyance and frustration.

"My point is I should be able to do this!" He snatched a piece of paper from the floor and waved it around himself before dropping his head. "Building a crib should be easy to someone like me!" He sighed, his hands raking through his hair in frustration. Pepper smiled gently at him, walking over and offering him and hand off the floor.

"You're problem is that you're thinking too much about things" She said to him softly, holding his body against her own, her forehead against him temple. "Once you relax, things will be much easier" He nodded silently and allowed himself to be lead out towards the kitchen where he sat himself down on the breakfast bar stool. Pepper noted that he was still pouting.

"Pep…"

"Yes"

"Will you still love me if I can't build you a crib?" He sulked and Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Somehow I think I'll be able to look past it" She poured him a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him, her answer bringing a smile to his face.

"Anyway, tonight I figured we could do something normal, maybe watch a movie…" She began to say but soon stopped herself noticing the look on his face. It was the same look he always had.

"I can't tonight Pep, something I got to do" He said quietly. She knew exactly what it was. Some insane mission Shield was sending him on or some random terrorist organization or…it didn't matter to her. All that mattered was that it was taking her husband away from her once again.

"Something you got to do huh?" She drawled, leaning backwards onto the kitchen counter. He sighed as he took in her appearance. He knew she hated things about herself, mainly the fact that nothing fitted her anymore but to Tony she had never been more beautiful. That made leaving her one of the hardest things in the world.

"Pepper you know this isn't an option, I have to finish what I started" he said, his gaze falling to his coffee cup. He might be able to muster the strength if he didn't look directly at her but even without looking he still knew her blue eyes were drilling into him.

"You knew that this was what I did when you married me…" he said weakly, knowing that it was a terrible argument. She growled and pushed herself away from the counter, stalking towards the sitting area and staring out of the window at the setting sun.

"Tony you can't say that to me as if you're hiding a golf addiction" She spat. She knew she was being unfair and she so wanted to turn around, kiss him and wish him good luck but being pregnant put the world into a hard perspective for Pepper. Every time he left she sat in fear of the phone call from Rhodes telling her the worst. She was terrified that their child would never know its Father. It wasn't fair to the baby and god damn, it wasn't fair to her. Tony frowned and followed her into the sitting room but remained on the other side of the room.

"You don't seem to realize how hard it is for me Tony!" She shouted, "I sit here alone, waiting to know if you're alive or dead…" Tony suddenly stalked across the room, his face in a hard glare. She may have been pregnant but there was no way Tony Stark was going to allow himself to be attacked.

"Hey! You think it's easy for me!" he shouted, "I'm trying to make this world a better place, for you, for our child, for everyone! If you're feeling lonely then call Emma or Rhodes…"

"I don't want them Tony I want you! You're my husband! I married Tony Stark, I didn't marry Iron Man!" She shouted, her temper flaring and her eyes blazing in defiance.

"Pepper I can't stop now, don't you understand that! There are people that rely on me, on Iron Man. I won't turn my back on them now" He said, standing his full height, his shoulders tense. Pepper sighed, refusing to allow the tears to well up in her eyes.

"No, but you'll turn your back on your own family" She had meant it to sound strong, defiant in the face of his anger but all that came out was a choked tired sentence. They stood in silence, Tony's eyes narrowed on his wife. How dare she question his motives and tell him that he was turning his back on his family. He was doing this for his family.

His response was on the tip of his tongue. He was ready to say something and it was going to be great, it was going to be cutting and would have put her in her place. He was certain of it.

"Sir, You are required at Shield headquarters immediately" Jarvis's smooth voice cut through the tension and Pepper screwed her eyes shut. Tony knew that his next action was going to decide the outcome of this argument but he had no choice. Without another word he turned around and left the room, heading towards the garage.

Slowly Pepper sank onto the sofa, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she allowed her tears to flow freely down her face. What was the point in hiding them anymore? She could heard the clanks and clinks of his suit being put together and the roar of his suits engines as he took off out of the sky light and towards his destination.

"Sir would you like me to update you on Mrs. Stark's health periodically?" Jarvis asked in his helmet as he sped through the sky. Tony sighed in his rage, he was still seeing red and that last person he wanted to think about was Pepper at that moment in time.

"You know what, this isn't going to be a long run and she's a big girl" He said, "I'm sure she'll be fine until I get home, give me time to cool off. No communication ." He said, although he wasn't certain that he believed his own words.

* * *

The anger had drained from her. All that remained was the harsh reality of what she had said. It rang through her mind over and over.

_No but you'll turn your back on your own family_

"God I'm so stupid!" She muttered to herself, shifting her position awkwardly on the huge sofa, the television droning on in the back ground. Something felt strange but Pepper supposed that the little one was just trying to get itself more comfortable.

"That makes two of us" She sighed. Nothing worked. Not pillows or hot water bottles or food. So she resigned herself to sitting awkwardly and breathing deeply. Suddenly a sharp pain ripped through her stomach and she sucked in a breath.

"Jesus that hurt!" She exclaimed, holding herself steady and leaning forward onto her knees. She took in a few more deep breaths until she was satisfied that the pain had subsided, "Alright, I think that was it. Must have been some bad food"

"Mrs. Stark, may I please suggest that you arrange transport to the nearest hospital" Jarvis said in his usual calm manner. Pepper frowned to herself then shook her head at the realization; there was no way it was that surely! She wasn't sure how long she sat in silence for but another painful squeeze made her snap out of her daze.

"Jarvis, I want you to call my sister and get her here right now" She said, her voice shaking, "And I want you to call Tony…"

"Mr Stark is unreachable at this time" He said. Pepper froze, her heart thudding in her chest.

"What do you mean 'Unreachable'?" She shouted, her hands gripping her swollen belly.

"Mr. Stark is unreachable at this time" the AI repeated once again. Pepper growled in frustration but knew she would get no more answers from the AI. All she could do was sit and wait for her sister to come and get her.


	13. Happy Ever After

I'm back baby woo! Trying to balance out my fandoms a little better :) and since I've almost finished university I have some more time on my hands to finished all my unfinished stories.

* * *

After a longer meeting than he had expected with Nick Fury and a few minutes into his flight towards China, the anger that Tony was feeling had been melted away into a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He should have been less defensive in his stance. There was nothing that he wanted more than his family to be happy and healthy but whenever he saw the horrors that were going on in the world he knew that he had to make a difference. He was doing it for them.

But then he had to go and shout at his worried, heavily pregnant wife and storm out of their home. He sighed to himself, he'd really done it and this time chocolates or flowers or jewellery wasn't going to cut it.

"God I'm such a moron" He spat at himself. He wondered what she was doing now, most likely she was lying in bed reading or maybe she had already fallen asleep. He hoped that she wasn't waiting up for him; it wouldn't be good for her. Maybe he should call her, but then, what if she was still angry at him? What if she didn't want to speak with him? It was just a short trip to China. He would be sure to speak to her properly when he got home.

* * *

"Pepper, honey are you in here?" She heard Emma's light worried voice call out from the front of the house as she sat awkwardly on the sofa. The pain wasn't stopping, the pain was getting worse and she was fairly certain that her water had broken. Emma trotted into the living room.

"Okay Pep, here's what we're going to do. You stay here and I will go and grab your hospital bag. Now where is it?" She asked, bending down in front of her panting sister. Pepper screwed her eyes shut in thought. It was all very well having this done in theory but the main event was a completely different thing.

"It's...In...The bedroom. Next to my closet" She panted, rocking forward to try and squeeze the pain away in a different direction. Emma nodded sharply and ran to the bedroom to grab the bag full of Pepper's things. Pepper watched as she ran outside, presumably to put her bag in the car. She then reappeared with a light smile.

"Alright, James is in the car. Come on, let's get you to the hospital" She allowed Pepper to put her arm around her, leaning on her younger sister as they walked towards the car. She could only just muster the energy to shout to Jarvis to lock the house down.

They slid awkwardly into the back of Rhodes car, Pepper leaning on her sister as since winced in pain. Rhodes smile gently at her from the front seat.

"Don't worry Pep, we'll get you to the hospital as fast as possible" He said and the car roared to life, speeding off down the driveway towards the hospital and the private room Tony had booked for his wife. "Where's Tony, is he on his way?"

The mention of her husband's name immediately sent the tears flowing down Peppers face.

"I don't know!" She sobbed and Emma looked puzzled.

"What do you mean sweetie?"

"We had an argument and before we could talk about it he stormed off to do some Iron Man thing. I tried reaching him but Jarvis told me he was unreachable" She sobbed, the ache in her stomach and back doing nothing to help the problem.

"That idiot" Rhodes snapped, his lane changing reflecting his driving style. Emma gave a sharp nod of her head.

"Alright, Pep, here's the plan. I will stay with you until Tony gets here" She said giving Pepper a comforting squeeze. "James, you try and get a hold of Tony once we get there and also give my parents a call..."

"Aw Em..." He said putting up a mild protest. Emma raised an eyebrow and glared at him via the rear view mirror.

"James. Just. Do. It. Please" She stressed.

The car began to slow at the hospital entrance and Rhodes growled in frustration.

"We've got a problem. Seems the press have gotten wind of the situation" He sighed, "We'll need to fight our way through to get in" He looked between Emma and Pepper. There was no way Pepper was walking in, not with those vultures outside.

"Alright, you go and get some nurses to help. We'll just need to deal with it for now" She said although she didn't like the situation. As soon as his door opened he was met with questions concerning Mrs. Stark's status. Pepper just closed her eyes and prayed for them all to just leave her alone.

* * *

Rhodes leant backwards from his place in the hallway to look through the doorway where Pepper lay in her hospital bed. The Doctors told them that she wasn't quite ready to give birth yet but to keep an eye for any changes that may happen. Emma sat next to Pepper, holding her distressed sisters hand. He frowned hard, Tony should have been here. There was no excuse for his absence. At the end of the hallway stood two huge Stark security guards. Rhodes was taking no chances.

"Mr Stark is unreachable at this time" he heard Jarvis say on the other end of the receiver for the seventh time. He didn't know what Tony was playing at but the joke wasn't making anybody laugh. All he could do was leave yet another message and hope that Tony got it.

* * *

He landed with a light thud in a garage as he always did only this time, something didn't feel right. Everything was in darkness. Pepper always had almost all of the lights on if he was leaving saying that it simply made her feel better. He allowed his suit to be removed and got changed into his usual jeans and a black tee before venturing into the house.

"Pepper?" No answer. He frowned and walked into the living room. "Jarvis, lights" He called and suddenly the house was bathed in light. It was strange; nothing was out of place or moved. After another moment of standing in the one place a fear gripped him. What if she had left? She had hinted that she couldn't take anymore.

"Jarvis, Where is Pepper?" he said in a panic, his breath coming in gulps.

"Mrs. Stark was taken to hospital by Miss Potts and Colonel Rhodes 3 hours ago" The calm computer voice rang through the house. Pepper. Hospital. Pepper. Hospital. The two words danced in his head until he felt dizzy. How could he have been so stupid? He was well prepared for the earful he was going to get from Rhodes. Without a second thought he was dashing towards the garage, picking up his car keys mid run and throwing himself into the driver's seat, rubber screeching as the car sped from the garage.

* * *

"Oh my God where is he!?" Pepper wailed, surrounded by nurses and her midwife. She was so close to bringing her son or daughter into the world yet her husband still wasn't with her. Nobody knew where he was and not even Rhodes with all his military clearance could get near him.

She was in too much pain to cry about that now. She had a much more important job to do than to worry about Tony when she had a new little Stark to bring into the world.

"Pepper you're going to have to push for me now okay? One big push! One, two three" The midwife soothed in contrast to Peppers panting and shouting.

Outside in the waiting area sat James, Linda and Rhodes, each occasionally wincing at the muffled painful sounds they could hear through the theatre room doors. Rhodes was beyond angry with Tony, had the man simply no sense or respect? Suddenly his thoughts were broken at the sound of doors being flung open at the end of the hallway and there he was, the man himself. Tony was running along the hall towards the operating room.

"Tony! Where the hell have..." Rhodes stood up and began to shout but was cut off by the man running past him.

"Can't talk! Baby!" He shouted, leaving Rhodes standing with his mouth gaping open watching the other man burst into the delivery room.

"Tony!?" Pepper panted, "Where the hell have you been?" She shouted at him between the ripping pains that were shooting through her.

"Mr Stark! You cannot be in here!" One of the nurses exclaimed in shock. He knew she was right, he hadn't even washed up but if people could give birth in their own homes then he could be in here with his wife.

"Hey! I paid for this hospital wing to be built, I can do whatever I want" He snapped. Pepper didn't have the focus and now was not the time to scold him for being rude. The midwife thought it best to ignore the protocol and watched as Tony wrapped his arms around Pepper, holding both of her hands and pressing a kiss against her hair.

"Come on, just one more push should do it!"

It was the strangest sound he'd ever heard in his life. This small strangled cry erupted around the room and Pepper let out a huge sigh of relief, allowing her head to fall back onto Tony's shoulder. He watched, eyes wide as the bundle of pink was cut from the cord and placed in a blanket before being handed over into Peppers arms.

"Congratulations Mr and Mrs. Stark" The midwife smiled, "It's a girl"

The two parents beamed down at the tiny bundle, Tony terrified to touch her in case she broke but he went through the ritual of counting all the fingers and toes. Ten of each.

"She's beautiful" He muttered quietly and Pepper nodded.

"Yeah and she's got her Daddy's hair" She said with a smile, noticing the crop of black hair sitting messily on the top. Tony just gave a light laugh. Neither of them even noticed the nurses cleaning around them until the Midwife came over.

"I'll just need to take her for a moment to give her a check and we'll get everything cleaned up" She said with a smile.

"You should go out and let everyone know the news sweetie" pepper said quietly to Tony who just nodded with a huge grin on his face. She watched happily as he bounded from the delivery room and his voice echoed down the hallway.

"IT'S A GIRL!"

* * *

She was exhausted. Pepper had never been through anything so tiring in all her life and she worked for Tony Stark. Once the nurses had helped her get cleaned and changed into a new pair of Pyjamas, Pepper had allowed herself to drift off into a quiet sleep but now she was coming around again, her eyes barely focusing on her husband carrying their new baby girl.

"You are going to be the most spoiled little girl in the world, Yes you are!" Tony cooed over the little bundle of blankets, "Daddy is going to buy you anything you want and you're going to learn how to fix cars and surf and you're going to be as beautiful as your Mother" Pepper giggled and Tony quickly turned his head towards her, smiling gently.

"Hey, I thought you were sleeping" He said putting the baby down in her crib and moving to sit on the side of Peppers bed.

"I was but I'm getting there now" she said with a yawn. Tony suddenly looked sheepish, his gaze falling to her quilt.

"Pepper, I am so sorry I didn't get here sooner" He said quietly, "I'm sorry that I didn't check on you and most of all I'm sorry that I walked out" Pepper sat quietly, allowing him to finish his apology. This is what she needed to hear from him.

"You and my family are the most important people in my life" He said, "And if I have to stop being Iron man...I will" The light smile suddenly fell from Pepper's face.

"Tony, I was angry at you" She started, "But world needs someone like you. I knew what I was getting into when I decided that I wanted to be with you" She put her hand on his face and pulled his gaze up to meet hers.

"I love you, stupid robot suit and all" She smiled into the kiss she received from him but he pulled away with a puzzled look on his face.

"I love you too....but you know it's not a robot suit...it's made of a very complicated series of..." Her hand flew over his mouth and a swift head shake shut him up.

"You know we still have to think of a name for this little girl" She said looking over at her new daughter. Tony nodded and sat thoughtful for a moment.

"Salt? You know, like Salt and Pepper?"

"No."

"Aw"

"How about Sophie?" Pepper asked and Tony looked over at his daughter thoughtfully, picking her up gently and bringing her over to her mother.

"Sophie Stark" He said trying the name on for size, "You know I like it" he said with a smile, gazing down at his daughter.

"You are going to be the most spoiled little girl in the world Sophie Stark" He said with pride.

It was nothing short of a miracle in his eyes that his life had turned out this way. Beautiful wife, stunning daughter, close friends and even in laws. Tony couldn't imagine being any happier than he was now, the new edition made his life complete.

"Tony"

"Yeah?"

"Is the nursery finished?

"Ah..."

* * *

Just a thank you to everyone that waited ages and ages for this story to be completed Next time I will be sure to dedicate myself to one story before trying to do too much at any one time! Thank you for reading and reviewing everyone!


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